


Stealth Kill

by TCon



Category: Kuroko no Basuke | Kuroko's Basketball
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Awkwardness, Bodyguard AU, Crime, Dorks in Love, Dormitory Life, F/M, Gen, Humor, M/M, Rating May Change, Slow Build, Undercover Missions, cross dressing, kagami is an awkward dork
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-11-20
Updated: 2016-07-11
Packaged: 2018-02-26 08:58:26
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 43,034
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2645972
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TCon/pseuds/TCon
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kuroko Tetsuya is a professional bodyguard assigned to aspiring sportsman, Kagami Taiga, after a seemingly random street assault that left Kagami with an injury, intended to cripple his predominant hand. The only problems are, he needs to do the job in secret - and he must do it in skirt, makeup and hair extensions. </p><p>It doesn't get easier when the target has a crush on his lady disguise.</p><p>KagaKuro Cross-Dressing University AU</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. To Be a Shadow

**Author's Note:**

> A/N: This is just an idea I’ve toyed with and kept for quite sometime, but hadn’t posted until now. :-} This story is something I’m writing on the sides, for variety’s sake. Another guilty fic. XD As always, I’m writing my OTP KagaKuro~ with some of my other OTP side-pairings. :-D

  
—

**Stealth Kill**

—

Chapter 1: To Be a Shadow

—

“The target is Kagami Taiga. You will be perfect for this job.”

Tetsuya idly thumbed the photo clipped to the profile document, gaze feathered through red hair and tan skin, broad shoulders uncovered by a black singlet. An sportsman’s body. The scene behind the man was a gym courtyard. He eyed the profile data, and there it was, written there on bold: _Kagami Taiga, Full Scholarship on Basketball in Seidai University. MVP player for Winter Cup Tournament. Interhigh Runner Up Champion. Kantou Tournament Champion._  

Impressive, he thought to himself. Already, he found something of a common interest.

He frowned when his gaze went through the following statements: _Recently injured in a street assault, dull force to the left forearm. The offender escaped the scene. Victim claims the offender was wearing a mask, sunglasses and a hooded jacket. Victim claims to have fought back and wounded the offender in self-defence._

_Injury: Clean Bone fracture. Recovery Time: Two months. No side effects present after rehabilitation._

“A random street assault?” He uttered, brows furrowed. However, it was strange that someone would randomly choose a victim with physique like Kagami Taiga’s. A rather foolish option.

His boss shook his head. “We initially thought so, but it appears the offender purposely picked body parts deemed as important to athletes. Kagami Taiga have reported, that he had avoided the first attack that was meant to hit his predominant hand. Would a random assault be so specific?”

Tetsuya clenched his jaw tightly, straightened his back, the document lowered and tucked over his lap.

“No.” 

Tetsuya answered, firmly. 

His boss hummed, tapping a black pen on a vinyl folder over his desk, the master copy of the one Tetsuya was holding now.

“His parents think so, as well. They are, unfortunately, very busy and unable to conduct their own research and surveillance, that is where we come in. The clients hire us to watch over their son, not only that, but also to find out if someone planned for the assault. There is a concern that it may be related to their jobs, or it may simply be a case of jealously gone violent. You’ll have three months to do this. Longer, if needed.” He explained, gaze lowered. His hand flipped over the documents, writing something on an empty underlined space at the bottom of the page.

“The parents’ jobs?”

“Kagami Taiga is the grandson of a politician, from his mother’s side. His parents work abroad in America, they are quite unavailable at the moment. All three of the family members are very concerned. Kagami Taiga has a bright future for the profession he’s aiming for, after all”

A politician’s grandson and an aspiring sportsman. The job was rather large scale. “I understand, Akashi-san.” Tetsuya nodded briefly, contemplated the idea, and opened his mouth again.

“Is there any special methods you would like me to apply?”

Akashi smiled, he reclined his back and outstretched a hand to pull the top drawer of his desk, fishing out a thin, yellow folder and pushing it towards Tetsuya. The latter gingerly accepted it, but didn’t immediately flip it open, thumbing the file and placing it behind Kagami Taiga’s profile data.

“You will work with Kise, under disguise. It shouldn’t be hard for both of you to pretend to be university students. And, I want you to approach our target, preferably as friends, to hang out with him and follow him everywhere. Basically, be his _shadow_. But don’t let him know who you are, his parents have specifically requested for this to be kept a secret. They don’t want their son to have more worries after the rehabilitation.”

“… Kise and I are 23 years old, Akashi-san. This is a tall order.” Tetsuya said, remembering he had never attended a university before. He was a graduate from the National Police Academy. It was a vastly different lifestyle than that of common university student, it was less about partying and writing essays and more about crime investigating and gun firing. For practice, of course.

“I’m sure you’ll make it. You and Kise have such youthful features, in fact, I think Kise would rather enjoy the attention from the female students. Besides, I’d like to see _her_ again.” A wide smile grew on the redhead’s lips, chin dipped on to laced fingers that created a bridge over two propped elbows. One of the red eyes shifted to golden, flashing mischievously.

Tetsuya couldn’t help the grimace forming on his own lips. “You have some bad hobby, Akashi-san. I’m sure this is a sexual harassment, I’ll sue.”

“What are friends for, Tetsuya? We’ve known each other for almost ten years. There’s no need to be embarrassed.” The _Other_ Akashi replied him, shrugging his shoulders. Truly, his split personality issue just got _worse_ every year, Kuroko secretly thought. 

Other Akashi chuckled, and Tetsuya learned he might have just voiced out his own thoughts. 

“My older brother agrees with me, she is simply _enticing_. We both look forward to seeing her, do take pictures when Ryouta is finished, and send them to my phone. Unfortunately, we won’t be able to leave the office at this time around. Paperworks to fill in you see — Atsushi and Daiki will be returning in two weeks. I’ve arranged some new jobs for the others as well.” He gestured to a stack of documents that appeared more like a tower than a stack — exaggeration aside.

Tetsuya snorted. “I understand. President Akashi. I will excuse myself, now. Unless you have something else to add?” He said, the folders at his side in one hand and another hand was on the arm of the chair, about to stand up.

“Ah, don’t leave yet. I still need to get over some things with you, I’m sure Kise could wait a while more.” Akashi smiled politely, his eyes returned to both red eyes.

Tetsuya honestly preferred the older Akashi, at least he wouldn’t openly try to tease him into blushing. The Other Akashi liked to play mind games too much. “Of course, Akashi-san.” He said with a smile, lowering himself on the chair again. 

“I’ve thought about the strategy. I’ve explained it to Kise already, because you were still on your previous job last week. It would be better if Kise join the Basketball club, and you, Kuroko, be the manager. Kagami Taiga spends most of his time in the gym, practicing. It’s the most plausible excuse to the both of you, to approach him. As for your covers — I’ve had it arranged.” He gestured to the yellow folder in Tetsuya’s hold.

Tetsuya glanced over it, fingers tugged the folder from behind the navy blue one in front of it, then he flipped it open. A photo of a bespectacled long-haired girl with pale skin, blue eyes and similar coloured hair, greeted him. Her expression was blank and disinterested. Tetsuya remembered how annoyed he was when Kise took that photo of him. At first it was just for a job, the client had been a budding actress with stalker problems, Tetsuya had to dress up as her friend to accompany her through her busy schedule, until his partner at that time — Aomine, could bag in the stalker.

But apparently, everyone else — especially Akashi — had opinionated how much Tetsuya looked good in drag, and charted the disguise as part of his expertise. Since then he’d have to dress up in female disguise from time to time, because it was an effective strategy, especially for female clients — no criminal would have thought the plain, unnoticeable girl next to their target would be a professional bodyguard. 

It had actually elevated Tetsuya’s own success rates to a higher ground, in no time, he gained several promotions and salary raise. He was now one of the top six private bodyguards in the firm. Even if he hadn’t liked dressing like female, it was for the job — to protect their clients and he was a professional. But everyone just _loved_ teasing him about it.

“You’re not changing my name?” He said, noticing the alias was still written as _Kuroko Tetsuya_. _Female. Age 20. Majoring in Literature._ Literature? He supposed it was a sound choice.

Akashi shook his head. “There is no need. Nowadays, people have unisex names, it shouldn’t be a problem. You may chart it up as something that have bothered you for a long time. Something to deepen your character’s personality, make you relatable. Say it was because your father had wanted a son, instead of a daughter. It’s sort of a complex for you.”  

“ … just what kind of drama you have been watching, Akashi-san?”

Akashi laughed. It still bothered Tetsuya, the way the redhead laughed. It wasn’t normal to be so elegant while laughing. “Anything to make people believe you, _My Lady Tetsuya_.” He simply said.

Tetsuya cringed. “Please, just _stop_.”

The redhead chuckled.

“I’ve prepared the papers for you and Kise. You’ll be transfer students — next month is the new spring term, it’s the perfect timing. You and Kise will pose as childhood friends, so it shouldn’t be odd for you to spend a lot of time together. Your parents are good friends and have decided to move to the countryside, so you’re living by yourselves. Your apartment is ten minutes walk to the university, you’re sharing a flat together as housemates. No romantic entanglements, you’re more like siblings, because you were raised together since childhood.” 

“That is an incredibly detailed background story, Akashi-san.” Tetsuya said, impressed.

Akashi nodded, face scrunching in concentration. He seemed deeply serious. “Of course, should you wish for romance to start blooming between two childhood friends, only realising their feelings for each other after they start living together, I wouldn’t object — ”

“ _Alright_. I think that’s enough for now, Akashi-san.” Tetsuya took back everything he said. This Akashi was just as bad as the other one. 

“Please understand this, Akashi-san. I am _not_ having a romantic relationship with Kise-kun. We are _not_ childhood friends. We are only co-workers on a job. Most importantly, _I am a man._ ” He reminded the redhead, emphasising each word of the last sentence.

“Ah, too bad. I’d love to see how it turns out.” Akashi smiled.

Tetsuya sighed, then stood up. 

“I think it’s time for me to leave, now. Kise-kun is waiting for me. I will see you soon, President. Thank you for the briefing.” He bowed politely.

Akashi smiled and waved to him from behind his desk, Tetsuya nodded once more, grabbed the door handle, and left. As he strode out of the President’s office, down to the hallways — paused slightly to nod to his assistant — Tetsuya knew, in his mind, that next task would be the most _excruciating_.

—

A few days later, it was time to execute the plan.

In the morning, Tetsuya entered the elevator that opened just as he arrived at a timely manner. Out of all 20 floors, he pressed the fifth — and waited until the elevator gave out a _ding_ to inform of his destination. Tetsuya walked out, his cellphone buzzed in his pocket. He paused to fish out the phone and flipped it open, it was a text from Kise. The blonde was already waiting for him at the dressing room, and had kindly informed him, with assortments of various emojis and heart icons, of all the _fashionable_ items he’d prepared to make Tetsuya more _beautiful_ than ever before.

Tetsuya shivered involuntarily.

Greatly reluctant, but constantly reminded himself, the sooner he got everything done, the _better_. He remembered how last time, he had to sit for four long, painful hours just for Kise to be satisfied with his female disguise. That man should quit Bodyguarding to be a beauty expert or something, he was simply too good at makeup, hair dressing and even fashion styling. Kise used to want to be a model, if Tetsuya remembered right, but never did become one. Then he went to a beauty school after graduating highschool, how he ended up as a bodyguard was a whole other story on its own.

“Kurokocchi! Are you ready for your _makeover_?” Kise was practically _gushing_ with excitement and joy, when Tetsuya arrived at the scene. His arms spread wide, golden eyes sparkling like a kid with a new toy. He was already dressed up as a regular university student — albeit the fashionable type.

Tetsuya was suddenly depressed.

He let Kise dragged him and pushed him down on a chair, a large three-set vanity mirrors with the edges riddled with lamps, blinded his sight for a few seconds. The dressing table was chock full of makeup and skincare products of various brands. Tetsuya almost chocked in the sweet smell of perfume and powdered makeup, combined. Kise was humming happily, inspecting his hair and face with his hands, practically groping around Tetsuya’s head.

“Aah, you have such _beautiful_ skin and hair, Kurokocchi! I’m always looking forward to dressing you up! Did you follow my advice and apply the moisturiser I gave you, everyday? It’s a bestseller product. It’ll make your skin smooth and plump, like a baby’s butt.” The blonde said, pinching Tetsuya’s cheek as if making a point.

“Please, stop that, Kise-kun. It hurts.” Tetsuya said, even more depressed. “And yes, since you have kindly given it to me, and remind me everyday that I must do it for the job. I have been using it everyday.” Thankfully, the moisturiser was unscented, so Tetsuya felt less emasculated about it.

Kise was now stroking his cheeks, pleased with himself. “This skin texture is perfect for the makeup. You’ll be so _cute_ , Kurokocchi. I’ve prepared all the best stuff for you, courtesy of Akashicchi, of course. He gave me more budget this time.” He gushed.

 Why wasn’t Tetsuya surprised? He felt like they were ganging up on him.

“Just… just get it over with, please, Kise-kun.” And maybe while Kise was at it, cut his neck off too.

Kise happily obliged.

“Alright, let’s get this started!” He exclaimed, rolling up his sweater sleeves.

Tetsuya had always been patient. It was one of his virtues. Out of all the six top bodyguards in this firm, Tetsuya was the calmest and the most hardworking. He didn’t have much presence or intimidation like the others. But he was calm, calculated and he was known to get along with the clients he’d worked with, especially female clients, due to his gentle nature. He was praised often, for his professionalism. 

That was why he endured and didn’t complain nor rouse a racket when Kise told him to sit for six hours straight, as the blonde installed hair extensions to Tetsuya, because unlike wigs, hair extensions would not move around if Tetsuya was required to do something that needed wild bodily movements, during the disguise. 

And then there was the two hours of makeup and nail grooming — which required Kise to call up some of his friends, who worked at beauty salons. Tetsuya had his limbs scrubbed off of filth and dead skin cells, his nails filed and shaped, painted with light blue nail polish and decorative white butterflies. He must admit the nails were cute, at least.

After hair and makeup were finally finished, Kise was ecstatic with the result. Tetsuya was just sore from sitting, unmoved, for six hours.

The weave was straight, with big, soft curls at the ends, icy blue in colour like his natural hair. He had a straight fringe that was just above his eyebrows, delicately framing Tetsuya’s face. It was quite long, running to his chest. Kise had applied natural makeup on him, put some false lashes to make Tetsuya’s blue eyes appear bigger, more feminine. His eyebrows were reshaped. His lips were pink, in a gradient shade that darkened near the slit of his mouth. Peach coloured blush was applied to his cheeks, and made it look like Tetsuya was constantly flushing like an innocent maiden.

He begrudged this, but Tetsuya did look _good_.

His face was round and small to begin with, and his Adam’s apple was never obvious. He had always been slim, could never build up too much muscles, or grow too tall. But to think he’d looked this good in makeup and girls’ clothes. Either the gods had a twisted sense of humour, or Tetsuya picked the wrong gender while he was in his mother’s womb. Not that he wanted to be a girl, however.

“My masterpiece.” Kise breathed out as he put his hand on Tetsuya’s shoulder, a hand over his mouth, tears welling up in his eyes.

Tetsuya wanted to _groan_ in frustration, but he kept it inwardly. He had a reputation to uphold.

He entertained the idea of quitting his job — which he never did — when his legs were waxed off just so he could wear _skirts_ , nearly screaming but succeeding in keeping it down. He didn’t know how real girls could stand such torture routinely. Each time he did this, Tetsuya gained more and more respect for the female population.

Kise dressed him in a conservative white dress, with soft lace trimmings and puffy sleeves that went to his elbows (the type that softened the harsh curves of his shoulders), a billowing skirt that stopped just before his knees. There were ruffles at the front, divided into two lines accompanying a vertical row of transparent buttons, all the way until the waist. There was a delicate line over the waist to accentuate Tetsuya’s nonexistent curves. 

The fact that he was used to wearing corset and female undergarments with silicone paddings for fake chest, under the dress, to create curves on his masculine body, was depressing enough as it was. Not to mention, the awful, awful black platform shoes and the white knee-high socks with ruffled edges.

“You look so pretty, Kurokocchi. I can’t believe you’re not a girl.” Kise said, staring at him with a strange look. 

“Please, don’t say anything.” Tetsuya said. He brusquely pushed the taller man’s mouth away, when the blonde started making kissy faces at him with his hands on Tetsuya’s shoulders, about to lean in for a dip. 

“Kise-kun, you will remember that I am a man, or I will be forced to remind you with my strength.” He warned, fists already balled, one knee bent and the other slid backwards. Tetsuya had a blackbelt, and he wasn’t afraid of using it.

Kise reeled back, rubbing his chin and lifting his hands up in surrender. 

“Sorry sorry, Kurokocchi, I was just joking!” He grinned, apologetically. “But seriously, you are _really_ pretty. I gotta take some pictures for Akashicchi and the others.” Kise swiftly whipped up his iPhone and snapped pictures of Tetsuya, fully dressed with a skirt and posed in battle station mode.

Kise thumbed his phone, tapping his finger pads on the screen. “And … sent! To Murasakibaracchi and Aominecchi too, I don’t think they’ll receive it until they’re back in the country, though.” 

This was just ridiculous.

“We should … get ready. We’re moving into our new apartment today.” Tetsuya reminded the blonde, sighing.

“Oh, I already sent the rest of your _wardrobe_ to your new closet, Kurokocchi! Hand-picked by yours truly.” Kise grinned, holding up two fingers in a peace sign. “We’ll be housemates, yeah? Childhood friends… hmmm do you think we need nicknames?” He asked, crossing his arms, a finger tapping his chin.

“It is a plausible reason, I suppose.” Tetsuya found himself agreeing to it. They needed to discuss how they would address each other and act as their roles, it needed to be believable, since they knew this mission would go for quite long.

“Hmm, how about I call you Tet-chan, Kurokocchi?” The blonde suggested. “Or maybe, Tetsucchi? Like Aominecchi’s Tetsu but with my own twist to it.”

“ … I will call you Kise-kun, Kise-kun.” Tetsuya deadpanned.

Kise looked disappointed. “Aww, you’re no fun, _Tetsucchi_.”

Tetsuya resisted the urge to facepalm at the absurd nickname — but he’d ruin the makeup and would have to reapply everything again. He shuddered to think of that. 

Before they went down to the basement for Kise’s car, Tetsuya went to his office to get some of the stuff he wanted to bring along with him. He picked up some documents about the client’s schedules and details, some of his own private things, his cellphone then his laptop. Everyone at the firm was already used to his disguise, so they’d greet him along the way — some complimented him. Truthfully, nobody but those five would dare to make fun of Tetsuya openly — mostly because they were old friends. Akashi could do it because he was his boss.

He put everything he needed into a box, but realised he was missing some things. Then he remembered he’d left them in the video room. The skirt, the _hair_ and the platform shoes made it difficult for him to move around with so much stuff, so he put the box on top of his desk and went to the video room, at the other side of the floor. There was nobody when he arrived, he looked around and found the CDs were just next to the LCD TV screen.

Tetsuya piled the plastic CD cases in his arms, fiddling with one of them in one hand. Across the paper cover was the title: _Kagami Taiga’s Winter Cup Matches_. Tetsuya had been studying about their target for the necessity of learning his character, in order to approach him. For days, Tetsuya watched every single Basketball match Kagami played in since his first year of highschool, he learned of his signature moves, and watched his losses and wins. He also learned Kagami lived in America, before moving back to Japan for highschool.

He had grown to be quite a big fan of the boy. Each time Kagami played he just seemed to get better, stronger and more _brilliant_. It was truly a joy to watch him dunk the ball into the ring with so much _power_ in it. Kagami Taiga was pure talent, blazing power and blindingly strong charisma. An opposite of Tetsuya. He actually could not wait to see how he played in the flesh. If he remembered correctly, Kagami Taiga should be able to play in official games again after rehabilitation. Tetsuya and Kise would make sure he stayed that way.

Tetsuya tightened his grip on the CD case. _Tetsuya_ would make sure _nobody_ could harm Kagami Taiga. Such a talent must not be wasted.

He went out of the video room, entered his office and dumped the CD cases into the box, and sealed the lid with adhesive tape. He lifted the box by the handle and strode out, heading for the elevator.

Kise was waiting for him by the car, a jeep lent to them by the firm, and the blonde helped him load the box at the back. Tetsuya sighed, it was honestly still hard for him to walk with these fashionable shoes girls wore. At least Kise didn’t give him high heels. If Tetsuya had to wear something that wasn’t as _flat_ as the ground, he’d demand a salary raise. Even climbing into the jeep was a chore for him. Tetsuya buckled himself finally, after he managed to wriggle into the front passenger seat. 

Kise was driving today. It was a twenty minutes ride to their new building. It was quite a well off neighbourhood, a residential area near the campus, presumably, there would be plenty of students living in the vicinity as well. The area was quite lively.

—

First day of campus was always the strangest, in Tetsuya’s opinion.

There was an open house to promote the university and clubs activities. Decorations, attractions and booths stretched from the front gate all the way into the university’s main roads. Kise had wanted to dress him more sexily (“No, Kise-kun, I don’t actually have breasts, it won’t work.” Tetsuya had persuaded the blonde), but Tetsuya opted for a respectable stiff-collared, long-sleeved button up white shirt, brown sweater vest and plaid skirt that ran just before his knees. He discarded the awful platform shoes, but Kise insisted on a pair of creepers instead. At least they weren’t as thick, and easier to move around in.

Tetsuya could never tell the difference between platform shoes and creepers; they looked the same to him. He didn’t wear makeup as thick as the other day, that one was just a rare special occasion, when Tetsuya would let Kise go nuts with the makeup and the dress — it wasn’t for everyday use. For now, he was dressed like a plain, normal twenty year old female student.

The university planted cherry blossoms along the main road of the campus area, which was nice, the pink petals fluttered about the open space. It was very pretty, but the crowd was noisy. Booths were set up along the road, members of various clubs passed up fliers and yelled aloud to gain attention of the new students, persuading them to join their clubs. 

As they strode side by side — meanwhile avoided persistent club activists — he noticed the girls were staring at Kise dreamily, and glaring daggers at Tetsuya. The blonde smiled and winked at every single one of them.

Akashi was right. This job was perfect for Kise.

Usually he would be rather invisible right now, but apparently the jealously of the female mass overcame even his own naturally weak presence. For lack of better ideas, Tetsuya kept quiet and moved on. He had a job to do, and would rather focus on it.

Kise leaned down a bit to whisper to him. “Tetsucchi, do you think the Basketball club is doing a booth too? Let’s check it out.”

Tetsuya nodded. “It should be here somewhere, according to the the Open House map.” He rummaged his skirt pocket and brandished a folded flier, he carefully peeled it apart, inspecting the map and its very small letters. “From here, it should be… turn to that corner. The sport clubs’ booths should be somewhere near the gym.”

It was difficult to manoeuvre themselves through a throng of aggressive club activists, hyperactive new students and confused highschool students. Tetsuya was almost dragged away by the current of the crowd — because he wasn’t exactly tall and big — Kise even had to put a hand around his waist so he wouldn’t get lost — it was humiliating. Not a good first day for Tetsuya.

They eventually reached the sports clubs booth area, it was farther than they’d expected, off the main road where most of the food booths and noisy attractions were. They went past booths of volley ball club, baseball club, tennis club, swimming club and other sport clubs. Seidai University was well known to be specialised in sports studies, they had extensive facilities to accommodate a variety of sports fields. The facilities were at a national level, to be offered full scholarship by the university was quite the achievement, Tetsuya thought to himself.

His gaze browsed around, and unlike before he spotted a lot of students with sufficient built, many were aspiring sportsmen and athletes, he concluded. Despite hidden by their jackets, they were all quite tall and broad-shouldered. Tetsuya looked around until he saw a familiar head of red, sitting behind a booth at the very end of the line. He felt admiration-tinged excitement bubbling up within him when he spotted Kagami Taiga.

It looked like he was watching over the booth, his back reclined to a chair that looked too small for his large body, arms crossed over his chest and face sullen. There were several people around him, fellow club members, he assumed. Because they were handing out fliers and shouting calls to join the Basketball club. Kagami didn’t look he wanted to participate with the effort.

He tugged Kise’s sleeve and pulled him down until they were ear-and-mouth level. “Kise-kun, I found the Basketball club booth. The target is there.” He pointed at the barely visible booth at the end of the line.

The blonde’s face hardened and he looked over to Tetsuya, both nodded. “Alright, let’s go Tetsucchi.”

They approached the booth. The were five people in total, three behind the table and the other two worked the crowd. The other two were busy explaining things to interested students, so they turned their attention to the rest. There was a short-haired girl Tetsuya assumed to be the manager, a young man with a hard expression and there was Kagami Taiga, playing with his phone disinterestedly.

Kise gave his best smile that usually made girls swoon, as he stepped closer to the booth. “Hello, is this the Basketball club? I’d like to apply.” He told them cheerfully, Tetsuya stood by a little behind him, Kise’s form blocked the sight of the redhead from this angle.

The short-haired girl looked up, the other boy next to her inspected Kise, eyebrows furrowing deeply. Tetsuya couldn’t see how Kagami Taiga reacted. 

The girl smiled and handed a registration paper she took from the pile in front of her. “Sure! Welcome! Sign your name and your details here. Are you two new students?” She asked, glancing over to Tetsuya and smiling at him.

“We’re transferring here from Kanagawa, actually. We’ll be here from this term onwards, pleased to meet you! I’m Kise Ryouta, this is my childhood friend, — come closer, Tetsucchi! She’s rather shy.” Kise grinned, waved his hand to Tetsuya, gesturing him to come closer. Tetsuya acted reluctant as was his intended character, then stepped closer, Kise’s arm went to his back in a welcoming gesture. 

When he emerged into full view, from the corners of his eyes, he saw Kagami Taiga had looked up from his phone. Tetsuya cleared his throat and softened his voice when he spoke.

“Pleased to meet you, my name is Kuroko.” He bowed politely.

“I’m Aida Riko, welcome to our campus.” Riko introduced herself, then gestured to the gentlemen on her right. 

The other boy nodded briefly at Kise and Tetsuya. “This is Kasamatsu Yukio, our Team Captain — and the redhead idiot over there is our Ace, Kagami Taiga. Oi, Kagami! Stop playing that stupid phone and say hello!” She abruptly changed her behaviour, viciously snapping at the redhead.

While Kise was filling up his registration form, Tetsuya glanced over to redhead, a similar excitement nudging at him. Finally, he got to meet Kagami in the flesh —

Kagami was _staring_ at Tetsuya, hard. His red eyes widened, lips parted. His back was no longer reclined, now half-bent, his body lifted from the seat slightly in an odd posture as if he was about to jump off. The phone was tightly gripped, hanging by his side. He had an odd look on his face, as if surprised at something. Tetsuya immediately brought a hand to his face. Did something give his identity away?

“Um, excuse me, is there something on my face? You’re staring.” Tetsuya asked, wishing he had a mirror for immediate convenience.

Unexpectedly, Kagami Taiga flushed furiously. 

He reeled back, face red, arms gesturing wildly as if Tetsuya would suddenly turn into a beast and tear at him.  “Uh, I — um, no, I mean there’s nothing wrong! You’re just — just _so cute_ , so I just — _the fuck am I saying?_ ” He blabbered almost incoherently, slipping into english and too fast for Tetsuya to comprehend his words.

“Aaand done! Here’s the form.” Around the same time, Kise was done filling up the form and declared the completion loudly. 

“Hm? What’s going on?” The blonde looked around, oblivious. The girl, Riko and Captain Kasamatsu were staring at the blushing redhead, blank looks on their faces.

“Uh, yes. Thank you. Tryout is today at 5 P.M., if you’re not busy?” Riko finally turned to Kise again, accepting the form and putting it to another pile in a box. 

“Sure, me and Tetsucchi are just looking around the campus. You know, checking out the new place so we won’t get lost on the first day?” The blonde laughed good-naturedly. “We’ll be here until evening, you don’t mind waiting, do you Tetsucchi?” Kise turned to him, his face was close to Tetsuya’s.

“No, Kise-kun. That sounds great. I’ll wait for you during the tryout.” 

Kagami Taiga’s expression turned hard, he stood up and slammed the table, palms spread over the clothed surface, glaring at the blonde. Kise jumped at the sudden noise, whipping his head to the redhead, blinking confusedly. “A — are you two dating!?” Kagami barked the question, voice harsh, his back hulked threateningly.

 Kise squeaked and jumped one step backwards. “N — no! We’re not! We’re just childhood friends and housemates!!” He exclaimed, arms crossed over his face protectively.

Tetsuya looked at him, incredulous, how could Kise call himself a professional bodyguard if he got intimidated by a college student so easily?

Kagami’s expression visibly softened. “Oh.”

His body relaxed, arms withdrawn and hung on his sides, awkwardly standing in place. His face was red, gaze glancing at Tetsuya and off to the horizon, then at Tetsuya again. “Okay, then. Sorry, I yelled.” He said, tone muted, a hand scratching the back of his head.

Riko and Kasamatsu once again stared at the redhead, quietly.

The girl turned to them again, expression bemused, then she cleared her throat. “Um, okay … would you like a tour to the gym? Usually it’s for new students, but you count, I think. So you’ll know where to go to for the tryout — Koganei! Come here!” She shouted at the two members who were handing out fliers.

Another black-haired boy stuck his head up from the crowd at the call, he slipped out of the throng and ran towards them, panting, a stack of papers in his arms. His face reminded Tetsuya of a kitten, for some reasons.

“Hey, hey, hey! What’s up, Riko? Hm? New students?” He stood close, in between Kise and Tetsuya, whipping his head at either of them at a time.

“Your shift’s almost done. Hyuuga should replace you by now — if he can just answer his phone. He’s been gone to the restroom for too long.” Riko pulled out her phone and furrowed her eyebrows, maybe there was no new messages on the screen. She turned to Koganei again. “Koganei, show them to the gym. This is Kise and Kuroko, Kise’s going for the tryout.”

“Roger!” Koganei straightened his posture and saluted. He whipped around to Tetsuya and Kise, grinning widely. “Hello! I’m Koganei Shinji, third year in Social studies. Nice too meet ya!”

“Kise Ryouta, second year, just transferred here this Spring.” Kise returned the sentiment with a wide grin.

“Kuroko Tetsuya, same as Kise-kun. I will be studying here, starting this term. Pleased to make your acquaintance.” Tetsuya bowed politely.

Koganei stared at Tetsuya, his gaze went up and down curiously, a hand cupped his chin. “Whoa, you have a boyish name but you’re really _cute_!” He declared loudly, a light blush scattered on his cheeks.

Tetsuya acted shy. “Thank you, Koganei-senpai.”

It apparently had a huge effect on the boy.

“ _Oooh_ , being called Senpai by a cute girl feels _good_! Yosh, I’ll show you around! Follow me!” Koganei gushed, bouncing happily.

They were about to take off, when Tetsuya felt a press on his shoulder. He glanced back and found Kagami was hulking behind him, a hand held his shoulder. From this angle and with his height, the redhead looked as if he was about to assault Tetsuya. On instinct, Tetsuya flinched, slapping the hand away a bit too hard. Kagami looked shocked, his hand hovered in mid-air.

“Oh shit — sorry! I didn’t mean to be creepy or anything!” The redhead flustered and paled, babbling on apologising.

Tetsuya and Kise stared at him, the latter’s expression turned oddly enlightened.

“No… it’s alright. I was just surprised. It was on reflex.” 

The redhead sighed in relief and regained his composure quickly. “I mean, I just wanna join you guys — um, touring, that is. I’m not good at watching the booth … ” He nervously looked over his shoulders at Riko, who seemed annoyed, but gave him an approval with a nod. Kasamatsu looked amused. 

Tetsuya observed, fascinated, when the redhead grinned, his fist pumping on his sides.

He turned to Tetsuya, grinning shyly. “Uh yeah, I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Kagami Taiga, second year. I major in Sports Nutrition. I’m a Power Forward in the team.” He said, thrusting his hand towards him.

Tetsuya tentatively took his hand, the redhead jumped when their hands touched. “Kuroko Tetsuya, second year. Pleased to meet you, I hope we’ll get along.” He gave his best smile, tilting his head to one side for a greater effect. 

The redhead blushed. “Th — that’s a nice name. Um, Kuroko. Can I call you Kuroko?” He asked, a hand brushed over the hair near his temples.

“Of course, Kagami-kun.”

The redhead grin grew wider, eyes turned into slits. 

“Right! Can I, uh, walk next to you?” Kagami asked, looking nervous.

“I don’t mind.” Tetsuya said.

While Koganei and Kise were chatting away about the campus, Tetsuya walked side by side with Kagami, and talked about Basketball. They had a lot of common interest when it came to the sport, Tetsuya had always been a fan since childhood and Kagami knew a lot about American NBA games, the conversation was very engaging. When Tetsuya told the redhead that he had watched his games many times and that Tetsuya was a fan, the redhead had flushed as deep as his hair colour, and thanked Tetsuya shyly.

Tetsuya had thought Kagami Taiga would be more difficult to handle, being a star player and grandson of a politician, but he was such a sweet, nice kid. The way he smiled as they chatted was endearing. He took an immediate liking to Kagami, as a person.

The gym itself was near the booth area, there were a total of five buildings for sports activities alone. Koganei showed them to the one they used for Basketball practice, Gym Five, it was currently empty but would be occupied later for the tryouts. Tetsuya had stared, mesmerised, at the interior of the building, it was big and well maintained, they had audience seats on the second floor for practice matches with other universities.

“Do you like it?” Kagami had asked, looking at Tetsuya instead of the gym interior. He was used to it, Tetsuya was sure. Kise and Koganei were fooling around with the Basketballs on the other side of the room.

“Yes. It’s very impressive, Kagami-kun. I’d love to watch you play here.” Tetsuya had sincerely said, smiling at the redhead. The latter had grinned and blushed adorably.

The tour ended a while later, Koganei and Kagami were called by Riko to help out with some things, presumably about the booth again. Kagami had looked dispirited when he had to leave, he asked if he’d see Tetsuya again later. Tetsuya had been surprised but flattered, they had gotten along so well, he was sure they could become good friends. Not only because of his job, but also because Tetsuya genuinely liked Kagami Taiga as a person, and as a Basketball player. He’d said yes, and the redhead looked pleased.

Tetsuya and Kise were still at the entrance of Gym Five, when the college kids left the scene, Kagami had waved to him and Tetsuya waved back. When Tetsuya got to know the redhead, he was really friendly. He was unaware that Kise had been staring at Tetsuya and Kagami all the while, with a knowing smile spread over his features. 

Tetsuya looked back at him, his gaze narrowed in suspicion. The blonde only ever displayed such a look when he had a bad idea he was about to perform — like the first time Kise decided to dress up Tetsuya in drag, and turned his career upside down.

“You know, Tetsucchi, I could be wrong, but uh,” He started, grinning wickedly. “I could’ve sworn the target has a pretty bad _crush_ on you.”

Tetsuya nearly tripped over his creepers.

—

TBC.

—


	2. To Be a Professional

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: The first chapter leaned a little more to the humorous side, I must admit. Let’s have some crime and plot for next times! (and maybe more dorky Kagami?) xD I feel like I will start doing long chapters again once I get into the story, please bear with me. I’m actually missing college again, to be honest. HAHAHA. This story brings up fond memories, while I’m writing. :-}
> 
> Unfortunately, this story won’t be getting regular updates since I still have **Beastly Call** as ongoing series, once that is over, I will start updating **Stealth Kill** more regularly! As of now, this story is something of an occasional rest in between writing for the former. :-}

—

**Stealth Kill**

—

Chapter 2: To Be a Professional

—

Tetsuya admitted, that during a cover, sometimes men became attracted to him. The rare chances that such things happened, it inevitably made things a whole lot more difficult for him, and awkward. Very awkward.

He shook his head, attempting to calm down the sudden headache, pounding away into his head. 

“This is not the time too fool around, Kise-kun. We’re here for a job.” He sipped the vanilla milkshake, pink lips mark remained on the tip of the straw when he detached his mouth. The chilly drink soothed the pound in his head somewhat. “Are you listening, Kise-kun? I am not acknowledging this. I refuse to.”

“Suit yourself, Tetsucchi.” The blonde shrugged, scooping up a sizeable spoonful of caramel ice cream and shoving it into his mouth. “But you know you can’t change the fact he’s interested in you — well, the _girl_ Tetsucchi that is.” Kise pointed his spoon at Tetsuya, waggling it lightly.

Tetsuya sighed.

“Kise-kun, please, Kagami-kun is _nineteen_. I am twenty three years old and a _man_ , who is assigned to protect him because it’s my job as a bodyguard. Nothing more, nothing less.” Tetsuya whispered harshly, jabbing the straw down his shake unglamorously. The fact that the heels of his feet were aching from nearly tripping over the creepers, didn’t help his current mood.

They were sitting at the campus cafe because his feet had swelled up torturously, from walking too much in the brand new pair of creepers. Its leather was still stiff and sharp to wear. He’d chafed the skin over the ankles, and he would very much preferred five laps around the campus, than to suffer _this_.

“But you like him, Tetsucchi. I mean, at least he’s not _underage_.” Kise said it like it was a casual fact. He ate another spoonful of vanilla ice cream with a slice of strawberry on top, from a tall glass of ice cream parfait in front of him, relishing it with delight.

Tetsuya shook his head firmly. “I am a fan of his play, and I think he’s a nice kid. I’d love to be friends with him. It helps to understand the client, to deepen the interpersonal relationship. It’s part of the job, and personally I think it’s better to want to assist him from my own free will. So, to answer your question, yes, I like him. But not in a romantic sense, Kise-kun.”

“Well, Tetsucchi, I admire your devotion to the job, that’s for sure.” Kise laughed. A group of girls went past their table, giggling and tossing flirty glances at the blonde. Kise responded with smiles and winks. That was already the umpteenth group of girls they’d crossed today.

Kise turned to Tetsuya, grinning widely. “This place is totally my game! So many cute girls here. And boy, those athletic types, _so hot_ … ” He ogled at a group of female Volleyball club doing laps around the vicinity, wearing tiny tank tops and shorts.

Tetsuya sighed and rubbed his temples. The blonde was getting too comfortable, too fast.

“Kise-kun, I think we are done here. Let’s go, we’ve been away long enough. We’ll have to watch over Kagami-kun. Just because it’s crowded, doesn’t mean there’s no chance something would happen.” He delicately pushed the sleeve of his shirt and checked the wristwatch, 04:05 P.M., a little bit early to go. Kise hadn’t finished his parfait yet.

“Tetsucchi, just chill for a bit. There hasn’t been any attack since the last time, right? He’s healed up and his friends are around, I’m sure it’ll be fine.” Kise casually scooped up another spoonful of strawberry ice cream, offering it towards Tetsuya. The latter was reluctant to accept, but the cream started dripping to the table so he leaned forward and took it. They still needed to act as their roles.

Tetsuya frowned then. He put his Vanilla shake on the table, already empty with a layer of white foam clinging onto the interior of the glass. “That may be true, but I’m worried that we have to do this job in secrecy. It bothers me that I may not watch over my client, at all times.”

This was what happened after years into the profession, Bodyguards developed keen observational skills and strong needs to be in control of the situation. This was the first time, as a personal bodyguard, Tetsuya had a job that required him to watch from the sidelines instead of close proximity, as the latter was his speciality, knowing a stranger might be planning to harm Kagami Taiga again. Kagami had fully recovered from his injury, would they attempt to harm him again? He couldn’t help but to be concerned about this.

“Kise-kun, I’m going. I cannot wait any longer.” Tetsuya decided, standing up. He grabbed his purse and slung it over his shoulder.

Kise sputtered, pink coloured cream mixed with saliva dripped from his chin. He fumbled to get some tissue and grabbed his own leather sling bag, all the while. Tetsuya already pushed his chair against the table, after he got off. “Kuro — Tetsucchi, wait for me! _Dammit_! Oh wait, it didn’t get to my shirt, thank god! It’s _Armani_ … ”

“ … Kise-kun, you may call or text me if you need me. I’ll be looking around the campus, for a bit.”

He strode away and left the fumbling blonde, eager to search for his client. Or he at least attempted to, because the more he walked in these shoes, the more he felt the skin peeling off of his ankles. But he’d bared with it and soldiered on, stubbornly convincing himself that compared to what he’d gone through for his job as a personal bodyguard, _surely_ heel-chafing was _nothing_ compared to that. 

Yes, the sharp sting was nothing. It didn’t hurt. It didn’t make Tetsuya want to shove his feet into a barrel of freezing, numbing ice, and then violently throw these creepers down the nearest thrash burner, watching them burn into crisps with a sort of twisted, maddened glee.

After about twenty minutes of excruciating endurance, Tetsuya staggered to reach the stairway towards the Theatre building, settling himself to sit on the lower rows. His feet was aching with a burning sting. He winced when he removed the shoes, finding the skins on his ankles had chafed, split and bled a bit. The pads of his soles swelled, ballooned up like air pillows, stung with a dull ache. Tetsuya groaned, long and pained, when he realised he’d no idea where he was, effectively lost on his way in the giant campus area.

He knew he should’ve brought along the maps he’d studied, but Kise had insisted they didn’t need it — they could’ve asked around for directions. With his feet like this, how the heck would Tetsuya even able to walk, normally? Just his luck, there were barely people around the Theatre area, as the main attraction of the day was around the sports and culture campus, while the fine arts and performing arts attractions would be in the next two days, after the History and Sciences’ campus fairs. 

He could see the nearest crowd in a distance. Should he bear with it and go? Tetsuya had no choice, maybe after some more rest —

“ _Kuroko!_ ”

Tetsuya turned his head when he heard his name being called; taken by surprise when he saw a familiar redhead was breaking into a small run towards him, hand waving widely. He watched, wide-eyed, when he recognised Kagami. The redhead was now wearing Seidai Basketball team’s jersey jacket and track pants, presumably for club practice. Another similarly dressed black-haired boy stood not too far from him.

“Kagami-kun? Why are you here?” He said, when Kagami stopped in front of him, grinning.

“Hey! I saw you when we’re in the area. What’s up? Where’s your friend?” He’d asked, his gaze straying around, finding no blonde nearby. Then he looked at Tetsuya again, looking more pleased, for some reasons.

“Ah yes, I was separated from Kise-kun, and um, I got lost…” His gaze shifted momentarily down at his nude feet, a little of the blood had dripped slightly onto the pavement. He tried to cover it up, but Kagami had knelt in front of him, eyes locked onto his feet.

“Is that blood? Are you hurt!?” The redhead exclaimed, his hands outstretched, hovering over Tetsuya’s feet, uncertain. Tetsuya realised because he was currently a girl, Kagami was reluctant to touch him again without permission.

Tetsuya shook his head, blushing a bit because he’d been caught in such an situation. How embarrassing, a professional bodyguard like him, immobilised due to wearing the wrong shoes. How could he possibly protect Kagami this way? It even sounded ridiculous to himself.

“No, Kagami-kun, I just chafed my ankles with the new shoes. It might be um, worse than I thought.” He admitted, ashamed.

Kagami’s expression scrunched up with concern. He looked over to his shoulders, and Tetsuya noticed his friend had moved closer, mere steps away from where they were. Tetsuya observed the boy; he was quite tall, although not as tall as Kagami. He had short black hair and was wearing black-rimmed glasses. He had a sharp look on his face, as he looked back at Tetsuya.

“Hyuuga-senpai, sorry, but could you go ahead? I’ll catch up later.” Kagami told him.

The boy named Hyuuga didn’t reply immediately, instead, he looked up and down at Tetsuya. A smirk made its way over his lips. 

“Oh, is this _the girl_ , Kagami? The one who made the infamous Kagami Taiga _fluster_?” He teased, the smirk widened when the redhead flushed a vibrant pink in response.

Kagami stood up abruptly then whipped around so fast Tetsuya thought he’d tripped on his limbs — but he didn’t. “Aww, geez! What the hell have you been hearing!? Go away now! — no, I mean, _please_ leave me alone senpai. I - I said I’ll catch up later for the tryouts!” 

Tetsuya couldn’t see much from this angle, but he saw the flush had reached the tips of Kagami’s ears, his arms were making wild gesture from beyond his massively broad back.

Hyuuga snickered, looking deeply amused. “Suit yourself, Kagami. Just don’t be late for the tryouts. You need to show your face for the new kids, or you’ll have me, Captain and Coach, to answer to.”

He could see Kagami’s actually shuddered at the warning. 

“G - got it, Vice-Captain.” He straightened his back and answered, firmly.

“Hmph. Good.” He peeked his head and glanced briefly at Tetsuya, before turning around to the redhead again. “I’ll give you extra ten minutes. Not a minute longer, you hear?”

“Yes, Vice-Captain!”

What was that all about? Tetsuya wanted to ask, as Kagami turned to him again, dropping to his knees. His hands went to reach for his feet, stopping before Kagami could touch him. 

“Um, can I? I - I swear I’m not doing weird stuff. I’m just gonna check the wounds.” Kagami said, looking up at Tetsuya, but immediately ducking down when their eyes meeting. His cheeks blossomed in a light flush.

For some reasons, his behaviour made Tetsuya blush a bit too. 

“Yes, Kagami-kun, go ahead.” He found himself saying, without thinking ahead.

He shivered slightly when Kagami’s fingers touched his feet, cold at first but warming up fairly quickly. Despite his big hands and long fingers, the way the redhead touched him was so delicate and gentle, that it surprised Tetsuya. He’d thought being huge and intimidating, the redhead would be more … rough. The pads of his fingers were hard and the palms calloused, stroking and turning his ankles carefully. 

Meanwhile, Tetsuya tried to keep his skirt down with both hands, even though he was wearing a nude-coloured short tights under the skirt for extra safety, he’d be mortified if anyone saw it. He should’ve worn longer skirt, damn Kise and his less-than-decent wardrobe choices, half of them had been short skirts, shorts and only occasional long jeans. He had to remind himself to purchase something more proper, later. Sneakers and track pants would be good, he was growing uncomfortable whenever he saw men ogling his legs. Disturbing.

The redhead didn’t realise his predicament, eyebrows furrowed and gaze focused on his bleeding ankle. “This is pretty bad,” He heard him say. “you should stop wearing those shoes, Kuroko. Let’s go to the health room for first aid kit. We should get these cleaned and treated.”

“I’m sorry for this, Kagami-kun. I should’ve worn socks or other shoes, but Kise-kun insisted…” Tetsuya had said, embarrassed. 

The redhead suddenly stiffened, looking up at Tetsuya. His face hardened, in contrast to his hands, which delicately held Tetsuya’s right foot. 

“You… dressed up for him?” He asked, tone oddly subdued.

He realised he might have let slip something he shouldn’t have. Tetsuya quickly regained himself, speaking out to cover his mistake. 

“Ah, it’s just — Kise-kun and I are friends, and he’s always checked my clothes coordination for me since we were young … he always has an eye for fashion trends.” Kise had been in charge of his disguises since the beginning, as Tetsuya knew next to nothing of girly things he needed, to make his cover convincing. And the blonde, well, he was pretty much an expert.

It appeared that he was able to convince Kagami. The redhead beamed at him, grinning. “Oh. Is — is that so?” He said. “I personally think you don’t have to wear something uncomfortable for you, Kuroko. I think you’ll look c - c - c - cu - cu - cute in anything.” The redhead flushed crimson, he looked away, seemingly developing a keen interest in the empty pavement.

Oh God, this wasn’t happening. Tetsuya didn’t think what Kagami said offended him. That was a first. He couldn’t feel offended when the redhead had said it so genuinely, unlike the others, who’d say it to tease him.

“Thank you, Kagami-kun. I’m flattered…” He couldn’t help but say.

“Y - your welcome!” The redhead was still blushing so adorably. “We should - we should go to the clinic, there’s one near the gym. F - for when we get injured during practice, or something. Y’know how it is.” He said, needlessly explaining the obvious usage of a clinic. It didn’t bother Tetsuya, for some reasons.

Kagami let go of his feet gently, then turned around, until his back was in clear view for Tetsuya. He leaned forward, arms on his sides and leaning to the back of his waist. Kagami’s head rolled back, looking over his shoulders, offering his back to Tetsuya. 

“Your feet hurt, right? You can climb up, I’ll carry you.” The redhead offered without hesitation.

Tetsuya felt greatly reluctant, embarrassed and slightly relieved at the same time. His male pride was torn with the thought of being helped by someone he was supposed to take care of, all because of those damned creepers. Not to mention the crowd of strangers who would watch them along the way, pointing and whispering and _giggling_. Oh no, that was too much, even for him. 

“Kagami-kun… you don’t need to do so much for me…” He attempted to refuse him gently, shy.

The redhead wasn’t having it this time, though. “Come on, Kuroko. I’m not gonna make you walk all the way there with those shoes on, it’s pretty far. Your feet are swollen too, you’ll make it worse.”

Tetsuya chewed his lips, Kagami made a really compelling case. 

He could’ve abandoned the shoes, but the soles of his feet had swelled, making it awkward for him to walk barefooted, even worse with the icy and solid pavements, in this sort of weather. It would be preferable not to walk at all, if he could help it. The fact that he was currently under the disguise of a female, might have been the final push to consider a yes to the offer. Still, he was hesitant.

“If you’re embarrassed, I’ll take a shortcut. There’re fewer people there, I promise. Is that okay?” Kagami had said, as if reading his thoughts. 

He didn’t know what made him yielded, his abused feet or the fact that Kagami Taiga, who he’d admired as a Basketball player, had kindly offered him help.

Honestly, his butt and feet were starting to freeze, Kagami’s back in front of him seemed to radiate heat like a furnace, warm and inviting. His mind tingled with a sense of relief, that he might not have to suffer anymore of the pain that the shoes brought him. 

But he came to a belated realisation. “ … I’m wearing a skirt.” 

He realised being carried meant he could potentially expose himself, in the most humiliating way possible. If he’d known this would happen, he’d worn jeans instead. This just couldn’t get any worse. _Dammit_. It was so painfully inefficient, wearing girls’ outfits. So many things to worry about, including the unintended exposure of his ass. It was either that, or his chafing, bleeding ankles and swollen feet. 

“Oh, _right_.” Kagami stood up and stripped off his Seidai jersey jacket quickly, turning and handing it to Tetsuya. He had a black shirt underneath. “Use this and tie it around your waist, should be enough to cover up, I think.”

Tetsuya blinked and accepted the jacket gratefully, muttering a thank you and wearing it around his waist. The jacket was long and big, it covered the bottom part of his body until just above his ankles. The fabric itself was thick and heavy, surely wouldn’t flap around without much effort.

He pushed himself up and winced, the pads of his soles numbed with discomfort. The swelling throbbed with a dull sort of ache, and the surface of the pavement felt cold against it. He took the creepers with one hand — pinched the pair with his fingers, slung his bag over his head then moved tentatively towards Kagami. The palms of his hands brushed against the solid, broad back. Heat started spreading from where he touched Kagami, mindlessly moving up his hands to his shoulders. It was comforting, somehow.

He leaned closer until his front laid flush against Kagami’s back, his hands clutched the blades of his shoulders, and his legs slipped into the gaps between his elbows and the sides of his torso. Kagami immediately cinched a tight hold around his thighs, hands clutched and supported Tetsuya’s weight behind his knees, giving a short buck upwards to settle him more securely on his back. He slowly rose up, his biceps strained with the grip. 

With all of his 57 kilograms worth of weight, Tetsuya wasn’t exactly light, but the redhead managed to effortlessly lift him and his own weight. He vaguely remembered Kagami’s impressive stats; 198 cm in height, 92 kg in weight, all muscular built and towering height. Compared to Tetsuya, whose growth stopped at his second year of highschool at 168 cm in height, he must’ve been a breeze for Kagami.

“Are you okay? Does it feel uncomfortable?” Kagami had considerately asked.

Tetsuya checked whether there was something wrong, but didn’t find anything worth troubleshooting. His backside was properly covered, and he didn’t feel like he was slipping off. “No, Kagami-kun, I’m alright. Thank you for asking.”

“That’s good. Uh, sorry this is the first time I’ve carried a girl on my back, so it might feel a bit weird for you.” Kagami said. Tetsuya noticed his ears and neck were flushed red, radiating heat. “Wait, I carried my teacher once. But that doesn’t count, I mean she’s _old_.” He corrected himself, looking embarrassed.

Tetsuya chuckled. “Is that so? Kagami-kun, you’re very kind to help me like this.”

The redhead’s body radiated even more heat. “N — no prob. Let’s go, we gotta treat your feet, quickly.”

True to his words, Kagami purposely picked ways that strayed from the crowded main roads, opting for small paths that cut through wooded areas, barely passing anyone as they walked through the path. The redhead explained to him, that these paths were used by the sports clubs for jogging, as the main roads usually held some sort of activities at least once a week, not to mention, it was meant for vehicles to ride into the campus. Thus had too much distractions and unnecessary obstructions. At this time around, the clubs were busy attending to the festivities to do their usual practice routines, so few people crossed the way. 

Kagami kept talking about the campus, Tetsuya listened and replied when necessary. Somehow the conversation slipped to Basketball again, something both of them had in common the most. The redhead told him he was required to attend the tryouts and the booth, despite him not being good at communicating with new people, solely because his reputation was needed to attract new students for the team. He was pretty much the face of the current Seidai Basketball club, even though Kagami just wanted to play Basketball again, instead of sitting around looking pretty on a display.

“Kagami-kun, you recently recovered from an injury, correct? You must miss playing Basketball.” Tetsuya had sympathised. It must’ve taken a toll on him, since Kagami even had to skip the Spring Tournament due to his injury.

“Yeah, I wanna play. I’ve been put on hold from official games for months. Coach’s been helping me out with strength training, but it’s not really the same y’know? I wanna play with the team, together. I thought I can play again immediately, but, I need to wait ’til tournament seasons roll in. We’ll have practice games and usual trainings, in the mean time.”

Kagami had sounded sad and dispirited. Tetsuya found that he disliked looking at the player he admired, feeling down.

“I’d love to see you play, Kagami-kun. I’ve enjoyed watching the matches you played in. Especially the match with Rakuzan during the Winter Cup, against the three Uncrowned Generals. You were still in your first year of high school, if I remember correctly. It was very inspiring.” He sincerely encouraged the redhead. 

He would love to see Kagami blasting dunks into the rings, all raw power and talent with that intense look in his eyes when he focused, his entire body and mind dedicated to play Basketball. The scene moved Tetsuya every time, without fail. He wanted to protect Kagami, even more than he did before. To harm such amazing player, it was an unforgivable sin, in Tetsuya’s eyes.

“ … you’re the first girl who’s ever paid that much attention to my plays.” Kagami said, voice muted. “I mean, there’re the Coach and my teacher, but — you’re different.”

“Really? I’d rather thought you must have a lot of fans, Kagami-kun, even the girls.” 

He remembered the considerable amount of female crowd screaming for the redhead on the sidelines, from the videos. Some of which even made banners and boards for Kagami, his name written down in sparkling glitters that shone in the spotlight, enough to blind the enemy’s supporters with its obnoxious energy. That was a rather effective strategy, Tetsuya had to admit.

“Yeah, but most of them don’t even get Basketball. I can’t talk to them — they’re noisy, too.” He heard the redhead said. “They pay attention to me because I’m the star player, no more than that.”

“But Kagami-kun, you’re handsome. Surely, that is another reason why they’re attracted to you.” 

Kagami had suddenly stopped on his track, looking over his shoulders with a bright flush scattering over his cheeks. “Y — you think I’m handsome?”

“I — I thought that is rather obvious.” For some reasons, Tetsuya had fumbled his words when Kagami had grinned widely at him, happy.

They chatted more, the atmosphere between them warmed up, sometimes still awkward, yet it was pleasant to Tetsuya. It was as if they’d been friends for years, the way they chatted about so many things about Basketball. Tetsuya wondered, if they’d been the same age, would they be good friends? Tetsuya was a lot quieter when he was younger, he wondered what kind of scenario in which he and Kagami became friends, perhaps bonding over Basketball as well? He’d always loved the sport since childhood, even though he wasn’t particularly good at playing it.

They reached Gym 5 a few minutes later, the clinic was inside the building. Tetsuya checked his watch, the digital clock showed him 4:57 P.M., and he had warned the redhead about it. The tryout was scheduled at 5:00 P.M., although Kagami dismissed it as something trivial. He did get an extra ten minutes with Hyuuga’s permission.

Tetsuya felt embarrassed, because the area of the gym had more people around;  students who were going for Basketball club’s tryouts. Kagami’s imposing and towering form, his strong charismatic presence and his easily recognisable face made them look all the more conspicuous. Oh how Tetsuya wanted to turn invisible right at that moment, but all he could do was hide his face behind the redhead’s back, hoping nobody would recognise him.

“Tetsucchi!?”

Tetsuya’s head perked up when he heard Kise’s voice, turning towards the source. Kise was standing by the gate of the court, then he broke into a run towards their direction, stopping just before Kagami. It was somewhat odd to look down at Kise, seeing the top of his head from such a height. Kagami easily towered over the blonde, he noticed. 

“Tetsucchi, I’ve been looking for you! Where have you been?” The blonde pouted, crossing his arms over his chest. He had changed clothes into shirt and shorts, and he was wearing sneakers, presumably for the Basketball tryout. “And uh, why is Kagami carrying you?” He asked in a whisper, eying the redhead in question.

Tetsuya was about to answer the blonde, when Kagami had spoke first, beating him to it.

“She’s like this because of you. Her feet are hurting, how could you leave her alone like that?” The redhead’s tone was cold and hard, sliding into an irritated gruff. Tetsuya could feel the tension on his shoulders, the muscles on his shoulder blades were stiffened solid. 

The blonde staggered backwards by a step, intimidated. Eyes widened and face twisted in surprise, at Kagami’s unfriendly behaviour. “Huh? What do you mean — _oh no_ , Tetsucchi, your beautiful feet! They are red and chafed!” His gaze fell on Tetsuya’s feet, which were swollen, the ankles were red with the abrasions. 

Just when Kise approached him and was going to hold his feet, Kagami shifted his body around and prevented the blonde from touching Tetsuya, on purpose. Kise blinked, his hands hovered in the air, mid-halting, not quite sure what was going on. Even Tetsuya didn’t understand why Kagami had acted hostilely towards the blonde, it wasn’t as if Kise had caused this on purpose.

“I’ll bring her to the clinic. You go for the tryout.” Kagami told Kise, not exactly in a friendly tone, more demanding. 

Tetsuya attempted to dissuade the awkward situation. “Um, Kise-kun, I’ll go with Kagami-kun for now. You should go for the tryout.” He said, hoping his colleague would get the idea and back off. The client becoming hostile towards the bodyguard, was not something preferable in long term. He still needed Kise for this mission.

Kise looked like he understood the implication. “Oh. Okay. Tetsucchi, I’ll see you later? We’ll go home together.”

Tetsuya nodded. “Yes, Kise-kun. I’ll see you.”

The blonde glanced at him, winking meaningfully, before leaving for the court. Tetsuya really didn’t want to know what Kise had meant with the unnecessary winking.

Kagami brought him to the clinic, about two minutes later. There was nobody around, presumably the facility was self-serving, more like a health room than a clinic. Maybe the doctor would be called if something more critical than a few scratches happened. The redhead lowered him onto the bed, carefully. When Tetsuya’s skirt fluttered upwards and exposed more of his pale thighs, Kagami had blushed furiously and apologised, averting his gaze and stumbling on his way towards the medicine rack.

Tetsuya straightened the skirt, he pushed away Kise’s claims that Kagami was interested in him, romantically. How absurd. It was the first day of their meeting, this was no more than a fleeting physical attraction, he was sure it would go away eventually as it always did. Tetsuya decided not to take it too seriously. Kise was too fond of teasing him.

The redhead came back with a box of First Aid Kit in hand. He sat on a chair by the bedside, prompting Tetsuya to lean his feet onto his lap, asking for his permission to touch him first. Tetsuya had okay’ed everything and let Kagami tended to his ankles, cleaning it with rubbing alcohol and gently putting antiseptics over the split skin. Although he was opposed to it at the beginning.

“Kagami-kun, you don’t have to do this. I can do it myself.” Tetsuya had told the redhead, but Kagami had insisted on doing it for him.

“It’s okay, it’s hard to reach your feet like this right? It’s quicker if I do it for you.” Was what Kagami reasoned with.

“Well, that may be true, but I feel bad.” He’d tried to say, but the redhead only laughed.

“It’s okay, it’s no big deal. I’m used to this — got scraped a lot during practice. Bruises, too.”

It was true that Kagami was good at tending to the scratches. The process only lasted for around five to eight minutes. He immaculately cleaned, tended and bandaged his ankles, finishing it off, by attaching some cooling pads for his swollen feet. After everything’s done, he moved Tetsuya’s legs onto the mattress. Remembering he had to attend to the tryout games, Kagami checked his wristwatch. The tryout must have started a few minutes ago, now that Tetsuya realised it.

“I have to go now, Kuroko. Coach’s gonna have my hide if I don’t go.” The redhead informed him, smiling.

“Ah, Kagami-kun, your jacket — ” Tetsuya had taken it off, hand outstretched towards the redhead, the jersey jacket in hold.

Kagami stared at it, and took it from him. But instead of taking it with him, he draped his jacket over Tetsuya’s frame. “I - it’s cold today. You can give it back later.” The redhead had grinned toothily at him and flushed hot red, scratching the back of his head. The jacket was too big on Tetsuya, and smelled like Kagami, warm. For some reasons, it made him blush a bit.

“Okay, um, I’ll see you later, Ku - Kuroko.” Kagami had flustered, face still red, then he mechanically walked over towards the door. He waved stiffly to Tetsuya, earning the latter’s polite smile, before leaving.

Just a short moment after Kagami left, Kise peeked in. The blonde gingerly entered the health room and took in the sight of Tetsuya, sitting on the bed with feet bandaged up and wearing Kagami’s oversized jacket. He whistled, seemingly impressed. Tetsuya suddenly had a bad feeling, the way the blonde looked at him, a wicked grin on his face.

“Oh _wow_. He really has it _bad_ for you, Tetsucchi.” Kise exclaimed, sitting on the chair Kagami had sat on previously, and crossing his legs. 

He didn’t know why, but Tetsuya was feeling tired. “Kise-kun, not this again… Kagami-kun was just being kind. He felt sorry for me — because of those shoes you gave me.” He said, glaring accusingly at the blonde. “Besides, don’t you have a tryout to attend to, Kise-kun?”

“I already did, and I killed it! You shoulda seen it, Tetsucchi.” The blonde grinned. “But _no_ , instead you were having an affair with Kagamicchi! _Not fair._ And I was looking all over for you, too.”

So the blonde had started calling Kagami with his obnoxious nicknaming habit.

“You know I don’t need you babysitting me, Kise-kun. However, from today onwards, I will wear sneakers and flats. No more thick soles. No more fancy shoes. I need to be mobile at any moment. With my feet swollen and ankles bleeding, I shall be very angry, if I am unable to protect Kagami-kun because of such ridiculous excuses.”

“Hmmm. Sure. I know some sneaker brands that match the current trends, designed specially for active girls like you, Tetsucchi.” Kise tapped a finger to his lips, smirking. He was sweaty from the Basketball tryout, his shirt damp at several parts of his body, so he wasn’t lying when he said he was done with the tryout. 

“In fact, I may be able to find something that suits that new jacket of yours, Tetsucchi.” He’d said, winking and waggling his eyebrows.

Tetsuya stiffened.

“This - this isn’t mine. I’ll give it back to Kagami-kun later, he’s just lending it to me.”

“You know, Tetsucchi. All you’ve been talking about is ‘Kagami-kun this’ and ‘Kagami-kun that’, ever since you two met. You do realise that, right?”

He chewed his lips, unable to rebut any of Kise’s claim.

—

By the end of the day, Kise was safely accepted into the team. He’d passed the test and impressed the Coaches — who, turned out to be Aida Riko and her father. Tetsuya was surprised, he hadn’t known the blonde was good at Basketball, even though Kise claimed he had only ever played casually before.

Kise had lent his shoes and socks to Tetsuya, which were too big for him, but it was better than walking around barefooted. Kagami Taiga didn’t seem very happy to welcome Kise into the team, even less pleased when he saw the blonde stuck to Tetsuya’s side all the time, supporting him by the waist due to his aching feet and staggering steps. He was glaring at Kise, as the latter introduced him to the Coach. Tetsuya had voiced out his interest in joining the club as a manager. 

The coaches and Captain Kasamatsu had discussed it briefly, then told him that he had to fill up some forms and could start as soon as possible. Tetsuya tried to return Kagami’s jacket, but the redhead refused, he said the evening was cold and Tetsuya could borrow until the next time they met. Kise had secretly snickered behind him, giving him weird, knowing looks. It was annoying.

After they arrived home, however, Tetsuya was struck with a nagging feeling of anxiety.

Kagami lived in the dormitory within the university. Meanwhile, Kuroko and Kise’s apartment was outside of the Seidai University area itself, which meant he couldn’t possibly watch over Kagami during the nights. It disturbed him greatly, how could he know if someone would attempt to harm Kagami in the dorms? Worse, if it was planned while the redhead was asleep and vulnerable. 

Tetsuya couldn’t help but to worry, and worry. He’d always worked in close proximity with his clients before, accompanied them at day and slept under the same roof at night, so if anything should happen he could rush in to check. The fact that he couldn’t do even that, it endlessly concerned him. Just as he was worrying over it, Kise announced there was an envelop in the mailbox. Odd, because they just moved in a few days ago, the only one who knew their current address was Akashi. They checked the recipient and found out that indeed, it was an envelop from Akashi addressed to Tetsuya.

“Another mission brief?” The blonde had commented, turning around the large envelop in his hand.

“I don’t know Kise-kun, I guess we have to open it first.” Tetsuya eyed the envelop, wary.

Kise gave him his flip knife, and Tetsuya tore open the envelop by the top, fingers snaking into the gap to reach for the contents. There were papers — documents, which he pulled out to inspect, his eyes widened when he found out the contents, the first page was a profile data. A small photo was clipped at the top right of the document, a familiar boy with black hair and blue eyes, pale skin, looking at Tetsuya absently, disinterested.

“So this is what Akashi-san meant, to be a _shadow_.” He read the name; _Ogiwara Shiro. 18 years old. Freshman. Majoring in Literature._ Another alias. A photo of himself taken under a different disguise, a male identity. But of course, Akashi was flawless, when it came to his job. He would never allow a loophole in the mission.

There was two letters attached to the documents. One was for Tetsuya, and another was addressed to Kise. He opened his own and read the lavender-scented letter.

_My dear Lady Tetsuya,_

_This identity will be the shadow to your blinding light. Unfortunately, he is not even a fragment as attractive as your lovely female persona. But alas, the necessity stands. An ordinary boy, Shiro-kun is sickly and gloomy. He is without presence and almost invisible, yet a perfect shadow, to guard the tiger during the darkness of the nights. I trust your ability to carry this mission well, My Lady. Ever the vigilant guardian, you are._

_Your Dearest Emperor,_

_Akashi Seijuurou_

He had a feeling the Other Akashi had slipped the letter in without the original one knowing. It sounded too suspicious. Also, creepy.

The rest of the documents were the details of his new persona, as well as application documents about Seidai university’s dormitory, he was listed to move in as a new student, within the week. Quite right, he was assigned to be Kagami Taiga’s roommate. The university had a tradition of rooming freshmen with sophomores, for the necessity of socialising, thus the changes with his new identity’s age. He needed to act even younger than he was, this would be a little bit tricky. But this identity shouldn’t be too hard to do; a quiet personality and unnoticeable. 

It was the best disguise for Tetsuya.

“Well, that’s how it is. I suspect I must move soon, it’s already evening.” Tetsuya had commented. 

It was written down on the dorm papers, that the curfew was 9 P.M., and it was nearly 7 P.M., he needed to get rid of the makeup and girl disguise, then prepared to bring the stuff needed to move into the dorm. Clothes, mostly. Toiletries, phone and wallet. He shouldn’t bring too much personal things, in case Kagami or someone else in the dorm happen to discover them. He could leave them in the apartment.

Kise was already standing by, his large makeup box in hands. However, he looked depressed and sad, hugging his makeup box and weeping crocodile tears. “It kills me to see my masterpiece be deconstructed into such a shady character, Tetsucchi. But I’ll do it ‘cos Akashicchi told me to.” Kise wailed, clearly unwilling.

On contrary, Tetsuya _couldn’t wait_ to be normal again. Sure, he still had to act as Ogiwara Shiro, but this identity was way better than wearing girls’ clothes. Finally, a break from the corsets and hair extensions and makeup and fake silicone boobs. At last, _freedom!_

With great reluctance, Kise took off his hair extensions, makeup and clothes. It had taken about two hours to remove the hair extensions and the makeup, much less time needed to remove them compared to putting them on. His head felt much lighter without all those extra hair — such a relief. Even though tomorrow he’d have it installed again, Tetsuya could’ve cared less. One could not imagine the discomfort of having to sleep with those extensions on! No he didn’t need to anymore, starting tonight. The thought brought a wide smile to his face. 

The disguise didn’t need any fancy additions, other than the fact that he had to wear a black wig. As to console Kise’s depression, Tetsuya let the blonde styled his wig the way he wanted. Kise cut down a supposedly long female wig into a shorter version, letting the fringe slightly longer, almost covering Tetsuya’s blue eyes, for an appearance of a gloomy person. Without the hair, makeup and curvy figure, he looked like a totally different person. The jeans and baggy sweatshirt did wonders to his apparent unattractiveness. Tetsuya was very pleased.

By the end of it, Kise was in tears — but Tetsuya was inwardly celebrating, too happy to care. 

It was almost time for curfew, he practically bolted into his bedroom, stuffed his large suitcase with his male clothes and necessary supplies, then stepped into the living room to say good bye to the depressed blonde, perhaps a little too energetically when he did so.

It took him fifteen minutes of taxi ride to arrive at the entrance of the dormitory, a large housing building painted in earthy red and designed in western style. He immediately went to the dorm administration office, near the entrance, papers in hand while his other hand dragged the suitcase with him. The caretaker took his documents and checked them. A while later everything was declared clear, and Tetsuya would be shown into his new room by the dorm leader. Although he had to wait in the waiting room until his escort arrived.

The dorm leader turned out to be Kasamatsu Yukio, the Basketball team Captain, he was accompanied by a tall bespectacled man who was taller than him.

“You’re the new kid? I’m Kasamatsu Yukio, the dorm leader. This is Imayoshi Shoichi, my second-in-command.” He briefly introduced the man next to him, who smiled at him. Tetsuya stood and bowed politely.

“Ogiwara Shiro, freshman. I will be a bother from now on.” He said, in a fairly quiet voice. A deeper tone than what he used in his female disguise.

Kasamatsu didn’t immediately reply, looking up and down at him, arms crossing over his chest. “Hmmm, did we meet somewhere before? You look familiar.”

That made Tetsuya a teensy bit anxious. “No, I don’t believe so. This is the first time I meet you, Kasamatsu-senpai.”

Kasamatsu’s stare lingered a little longer than necessary, before he shrugged, deciding it wasn’t important enough — much to his relief. The boy was quite sharp. “Right. I’ll accompany you to your room. Come with me, I’ll show you around. Let’s go, Imayoshi.”

Not only was he the Basketball team Captain, but he was also the Dorm Leader, Kasamatsu must be very capable in juggling in between his duties, Tetsuya thought. Imayoshi seemed quiet at first, later on he started asking Tetsuya questions as they walked together. He was actually quite friendly — although he gave off a certain strange impression. Tetsuya tried to act as disinterested and shy as possible, as his intended character, alternating between vague answers and briefly informative replies.

“Oh so you’re from Hokkaido? That’s pretty far. What makes you move into Tokyo?” Imayoshi asked him, as Kasamatsu led them past the security door with a key card in hand.

“My parents moved to Tokyo for work when I was in third year of high school. They went back to Hokkaido recently. They thought I should enter the dorm instead of following them around. Learn how to be independent, as they put it.” Tetsuya told him, the personal information of his disguise was being fabricated in his mind, as he went along. He would think of the rest later on.

“It’s still pretty early in the semester, so it’s rather empty here. Most of the guys are still at home. Usually, it’ll get too damn noisy a week before classes start — I need to discipline the kids every now and then, especially the second years. They got too much free time in their hands. Us, Fourth Years are busy, we’ll be graduating next year, after all. I’ll tell you the rules later — unwritten ones. You know the curfew already, also, no bringing girls here.” Kasamatsu explained, as they went past rows of doors with golden numbers hung onto them.

Tetsuya nodded. He might need to ask questions himself, it would appear more natural that way. “If I may ask, what kind of person is my roommate?” Even if he already knew the answer.

Kasamatsu snorted. “Kagami Taiga, second year. Our Ace in Basketball team. He’s not too much of a problem. He behaves better than most of the frat boys here. Doesn’t drink nor smoke, doesn’t go to parties. He’s really dedicated to Basketball. He may just bore you.”

“Yukio, did you just describe yourself, or was it really Kagami?” Imayoshi had said, chuckling amusedly. Kasamatsu sharply shushed him.

Tetsuya secretly smiled to himself. Kagami really was as he’d pictured; his entire self was dedicated to Basketball, such a rare display of devotion.

They arrived in front of Room 1011. It was on the first floor, a little ways into the back of the building.

“Here’s your keys. Don’t lose them, you’ll have to pay a fortune to get them replaced.” Kasamatsu handed him a card key and three keys joint by a round metal ring, two big ones and one small sized. “The card’s for the front gate and back door, the rest are your room key, wardrobe key and a spare.”

He nodded. “Thank you for accompanying me, Kasamatsu-senpai, Imayoshi-senpai.”

“Your welcome. Enjoy your stay, Ogiwara.” Kasamatsu said, smiling to him.

The two boys left him on his own, standing by the door of Kagami’s room. Tetsuya tried to turn the knob, finding that the door wasn’t locked. He opened it slowly and soundlessly, the room’s lights were lit up, but the redhead wasn’t inside. He noted the sound of running water coming from an attached bathroom, Kagami must be showering. 

He looked around his new room meanwhile, the walls were painted in nude brown, there were built-in bunk beds with installed curtains, on the right side of the room, two standard-sized desks across from it, one sparse bookshelf stocked with Basketball magazines by the bed, two sets of built-in wardrobe on the other side of the room, across the entrance, and a bunch of weight training tools underneath the bottom bunk. A worn basket ball was lying immobile beneath one of the desks. Tetsuya assumed Kagami’s bed was the bottom one, as it was left untidy, the sheets tangled and twisted, duvet seemingly kicked off on a whim.

Tetsuya was just standing by the door, unsure whether he should wait for Kagami, or go ahead and unpack. He chose the former. He dragged his suit case to the emptier desk, leaning it close to the table. And then he sat on the chair, waiting. It would be rude not to greet his ‘senpai’ first, as a freshman. Even if he was actually older, this job had just become even more demanding, now that Tetsuya thought about it. The pay was good, though, so he couldn’t exactly complain. Akashi had always been fair when it came to compensating for his staff’s troubles.

Besides, Tetsuya really came to genuinely like Kagami Taiga. He was surprised himself, to be so willing to protect a client — a feeling that went slightly beyond a professional demand. Kagami had treated him well, so far — well, towards his female counterpart. He might treat his male counterpart differently, but it mattered little.

This was a job and Kuroko Tetsuya was a professional. When the job demanded him to act and appear as a twenty year old female the student, he would become she, and if he was demanded to appear as an eighteen year old boy, he would become him. This was the livelihood he had chosen for himself, to be the shadow of the person who needed his protection. His job was to serve, plain and simple. He needed no hesitation.

A few minutes later, the bathroom’s frosted glass door creaked open. The redhead stepped out, wearing a towel from waist down. His top body was still soaked, droplets of water trickling down his muscular body and dripped from strands of wet red hair. He had an amazing physique, tall and well-built, with skin the colour of warm caramel. Tetsuya almost forgot to warn the redhead of his presence, as Kagami strode out towards the built-in wardrobe casually. He opened the door, his broad back was displayed on plain view, humming to himself and picking for clothes.

Tetsuya didn’t exactly know why he suddenly needed to swallow. He had to pause for a second to gather his wits. “Um, Kagami-ku — senpai. Kagami-senpai.” He quickly corrected himself, clearing his throat a little loudly.

The redhead visibly jumped, then whipped around fast, eyes widened and mouth hung agape. “Wha!? Who the hell are you!? How the hell are you there!?” Kagami yelled out, looking more than adequately shocked by Tetsuya’s seemingly sudden appearance. His back pressed against the wardrobe’s doors, face blanched a deathly white as if he’d seen a ghost.

Oh, so Tetsuya hadn’t lost his naturally weak presence.

“I’ve been here for a while now.” He said, rising from his seat and bowing politely. “My name is Ogiwara Shiro, I’ll be your roommate from now on, Kagami-senpai. I will be a bother, but I hope we get along.”

“Oh, you’re the new kid.” Kagami stated, regaining his composure. He looked somewhat relieved, presumably because Tetsuya wasn’t actually ghost. “Geez you could’ve said something! You scared me, bastard.” He said, a hand went over his fringe. Tiny droplets of water flew off as he did so.

Tetsuya couldn’t help but to laugh softly, amused. “I’m sorry, Kagami-senpai. I won’t do it again.”

“Huh, what’s your name again? Shiro? Funny name.” The redhead said, crossing his arms over his chest, looking at Tetsuya up and down. “Well, you’re pretty pale. Guess your name suits you. You made me think you’re a ghost or something — quit doing that, alright? If you do that, then we’re cool.”

Tetsuya nodded. “Of course, Kagami-senpai. May I unpack my things? I’d like to rest, it’s been a long day.”

“Sure. Make yourself at home, Shiro.” 

It looked Kagami was comfortable enough with using his alias’ first name, Tetsuya thought. He felt like he was a dog, the way the name sounded. Tetsuya didn’t really mind, he’d always loved dogs and animals, in general. He’d like to get a puppy someday, although it was difficult to keep a pet since he rarely went home due to his job as a bodyguard. He’d get one if he could. … maybe, he wouldn’t name it Shiro, however.

Tetsuya grabbed the handle of his suitcase and dragged it all the way towards the wardrobe next to Kagami’s. He used the small key he possessed, to unlock it. Kagami was pulling down a shirt over his head, already had his track pants on. He idly watched Tetsuya unpacked his suitcase, and started arranging his clothes into the new wardrobe, stacking them neatly.

“You look familiar,” Kagami had commented. “have we met before?”

Tetsuya flinched. “… no, senpai. I believe this is the first time we meet.” 

Kagami made a noncommittal sound.

“Your eyes,” He suddenly said, pausing. “Uh, no. Never mind.” He rubbed his hair with a towel, draining the moisture into the soft cushiony fabric.

Tetsuya stopped and looked up at the redhead. “My eyes? Is there something wrong with them?” He asked.

“Nah. I just thought that they were really pretty.” Kagami said easily, his face hidden beneath the towel he was using to scrub his hair, head ducked. He completely missed the way Tetsuya blushed at his casual compliment, the cool facade slipping off by a degree.

Somehow, Kagami made it difficult for Tetsuya to act professional. This fact endlessly troubled him.

—

TBC.

—

 


	3. To Be a Master of Disguise

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Oh this poor *temporarily* abandoned work. I'm sorry, I just got too caught up with BC, I totally abandoned SK. (==;) But eh, I kind of need entertainment right now cos having cold is boring. I just gonna write whatever I want with this little baby … I'll be updating this whenever I feel like it, since it's my stress-reliever fic. No pressure or anything, okay. D: I'll try not to update too irregularly. :x

—

**Stealth Kill**

—

Chapter 3: To Be a Master of Disguise

—

A girl at day, and a boy at night. Usually, such a double life was more familiar for people in specialised professions, such as an actor or a drag queen, definitely not a Bodyguard's specialisation. Yet Tetsuya had to be all three of them at once, and it wasn't exactly easy but he was adamant in fulfilling his job as a professional. However, if anyone dared to call him, a drag queen, he might have to use his Bodyguard's experience, expertise and his black belt status, to legally pulverise said person, into bits of fine dust particles.

Unfortunately, the message hadn't exactly been properly broadcasted due to the fact that Tetsuya looked effeminate and gentle. So one day, Aomine had once, crudely called Tetsuya by that title, as a joke, and the bruise on his co-worker's left side was still apparent even after several weeks.

It was simply a non-negotiable issue.

This job however, was a challenge of its own.

During a normal job, Tetsuya would only need one disguise. But now with two of them, he had to multi-task, between keeping Kagami blissfully oblivious, playing his roles convincingly, meanwhile protecting Kagami from the shadows and investigating the assault, all in secret. It had been taxing, to say the very least. Around two days into playing double-disguise, Tetsuya was about to be taken to a wholly unknown world, that was the college kids' lifestyle.

Two evenings into his role as Ogiwara Shiro, Koganei had burst into their room with a grand announcement, followed by a reluctant-looking taller boy who stood behind him. "Oy, Kagami! Let's party! We're having drinks tonight!"

"I beg your pardon? Whose welcoming party?"

Tetsuya had been the closest person to the entrance door and was folding his shirts on the wooden floor, when the duo suddenly barged in. Kagami was reading a magazine at the bottom bunk bed, briefly lifting his gaze due to the loud intrusion.

"Huh? Who're you? New Kid?" Koganei blinked at him, stepped into the room and leaned down to inspect him, a little too close for comfort. The quiet, tall boy behind him looked at Tetsuya apologetically, gently pulling back the excited boy away from him.

"He's my new roommate, Ogiwara Shiro. Shiro, they're our third year Seniors and my teammates in club, Koganei-senpai and Mitobe-senpai." Kagami nonchalantly introduced them, briefly, before resuming to read the magazine. "And, I'm not going. Thanks for the invitation."

Koganei sharply turned his attention and straightened his back, exclaiming in shock and disappointment. "But, Kagami! There's beer! And (maybe) girls!"

"Um, pleased to meet you, Koganei-senpai. Mitobe-senpai. You can call me Shiro." Koganei wasn't listening, but Mitobe nodded back to him, politely.

Kagami flipped a page. "Not interested."

Koganei pouted and crossed his arms over his chest petulantly. "Fine! I guess food and Kuroko-chan don't interest you either!"

Both Kagami and Tetsuya made sudden, choked noises at almost the same exact moment, only Tetsuya was able to hold back at the last split-second. Somehow it got stuck in his larynx instead, as if trapped in mid-sneeze. Wait, what now? Tetsuya honestly didn't remember ever agreeing to go to  _any_  party.

It apparently had a huge impact in swaying Kagami's final decision.

"S-seriously? Kuroko will be there?" The magazine was complete forgotten on the mattress, and now the redhead's relaxed posture had turned eager; leaning forward with hands spreading over the mattress as if ready to pounce. His dull expression had lit up in a matter of seconds, crimson eyes set ablaze. Tetsuya was astounded at the sudden change of mood.

Koganei triumphantly huffed, hands in akimbo. "Well, I was just about to tell you the Welcoming Party's for the new club members, so obviously, our  _beautiful_  new manager will be there! …  _I think_. I have to contact Kise to ask if she can attend since I don't have her numbers yet, but I'm  _pretty_   _sure_  she's gonna be there!"

That boy  _seriously_  had to get his facts right; Tetsuya did  _not_  do parties. He'd turned down Kise and Takao's offers for speed dating events and Karaoke parties more times than he'd been through different disguises over the years. Surely, Kagami wouldn't take the blatantly absurd bait seriously—

"Is - is that so? W - well, I guess I should go shower first… I'll be there, Koganei-senpai. Mitobe-senpai. You have my word." Kagami, for some reasons, solemnly promised, pointing an index finger at the two seniors, before withdrawing it, awkwardly.

He didn't even stop to think that maybe,  _Kuroko-cha_ n would refuse the invitation. Tetsuya wanted to facepalm, hard.

Koganei had shown the brightest grin he could muster. "Great! We'll meet at 8 P.M. at the gate's! … also, don't tell the Captain. We're having the party in  _secret_. Otherwise, we can't stay out past ten! Ima-senpai said he's studying in his room right now, so we gotta be  _extra_  careful."

"G - got it!" Kagami gave a shaky reply. He didn't seem overly confident about it.

Oh, Holy Mother. Tetsuya could barely keep up with these college kids.

Mitobe and Koganei cheerfully left the room soon after, like a storm that came and left at wilful convenience.

While Kagami went into the bathroom for a shower, Tetsuya checked the clock. 06:15 P.M., if he had to change disguises to make it in time, he'd better go to the apartment,  _now_. Tetsuya grabbed his wallet, keys and phone, knocked on the bathroom frosted glass door to inform Kagami that he had to go out for a bit (which earned a grunt of a reply from Kagami), and rushed out of the room and dorm like bats out of hell.

He couldn't hail a taxi in the campus area, so Tetsuya had no choice but to  _run_  for it.

The apartment was ten minutes walk from the East Gate of the Seidai University, but from the male dormitory that was located within the campus area, it was about twenty minutes. Tetsuya managed to cut the timeline into approximately twelve minutes. He was gasping for breath and sweating bullets by the time Kise opened the front door for him, startled by the sight of the mess.

" _Tetsucchi?_ You look — Wait — yeah, Koganei-senpai, she just got home from her part-time job — " Kise was presently on a call with Koganei, holding his cellphone with one hand.

Tetsuya wordlessly walked past the blonde, grabbing a fistful of his black wig and pulling it off. He was still panting raggedly, shirt soaked through and felt gross. Kise closed the door and continued the chat, glancing at Tetsuya and talking on the phone. Tetsuya pulled the soaked shirt over his head and threw it to the nearby couch in the living room, along with the hair and the wig cap. His real hair must've looked like such an amazing mess. He turned to Kise, chest heaving up and down erratically.

"I'm going to shower. Get the disguise ready, Kise-kun." That was all he told the blonde, before he wordlessly went to the bathroom across the hallway.

His body was slim, decorated with lean muscles and was awfully pale, Tetsuya thought to himself after he'd taken off every article of clothing he had on him, staring at his reflection in the mirror. As he'd suspected, his hair resembled more like a cockatiel's rockstar mohawk than that of a normal human being's, though his usual morning bedhair was even more gravity-defying in comparison. His body was covered in sweat, ugh. Tetsuya shrugged and stepped into the shower, eager to be rid of the discomfort.

Kise had prepared a stock of similar-looking wigs for Tetsuya's female disguise, in case the extensions became a little too complicated for earliest convenience. Truthfully, wigs were better than hair extensions since they were easier to remove, especially to sleep at night. Tetsuya preferred it.

The living room of the apartment was turned into a makeshift dressing room, Tetsuya was sat down on the couch as Kise dried off his hair and put on a nude wig cap over his head, then prepped his face with skincare products for the makeup procedure. The blonde applied a mask sheet over his face for ten minutes, removed it and put on moisturiser, then spread Primer on top of it. "It's to make the product stay longer on your face, Tetsucchi!" Kise told him when he'd asked what the heck Primer was.

The information went into one ear and drifted out of the other. This was why Tetsuya needed Kise for his disguises.

It took about an hour and a half or so, for the makeup, wig and outfit. Tetsuya had specifically asked for clothing that would provide more mobility and function — and Kise had dressed him in dark jeans, white frilly blouse and jersey jacket — in which the jacket was actually Kagami's. He didn't mind the blouse and the puffy long sleeves, but the  _ruffles_ at the front of the blouse, collar and the cuffs. They tickled his chin and neck and hands. The fabric was satiny, light and nice to touch, but really, there were just too many  _damn_  ruffles.

Tetsuya sighed, of course the blonde wouldn't give in that easily.

With all the über feminine clothes, Tetsuya always wondered to himself, whether Kise's type of girl was  _this_  kind? Cute and elegant, sort of dignified and reserved. …but then again sometimes he suggested sexy clothes like camisoles, which was always an instant  _no_  from Tetsuya. No matter how effeminate he looked, Tetsuya had no actual breasts, neither had he ever wanted them.

"You know. If you were a real girl, I'd totally ask you to date me, Tetsucchi." Kise remarked, as if he'd read his mind, brushing the wig carefully. "But you're a boy. I'm kind of more picky with guys, but I don't mind if you like me though! We get along and I like spending time with you. Yeah, I totally won't mind." He grinned, as if that was the most natural thing to say.

"I'm sorry, Kise-kun, I'm dating my job. Please talk to my boss if you'd like to turn in a proposal."

And that reply sounded a little too much like a workaholic's confession, Tetsuya realised too late.

Kise pouted. "That's not fun!"

It was 07:40 A.M., Tetsuya made it in time for the party. Really, this job was  _very_  demanding. Tetsuya considered asking for a salary raise to Akashi, for a minute there.

"Hmmm, might look cuter with skirt and black tights," Kise shut his mouth when Tetsuya shot a heated glare at him.

The jacket provided enough warmth for him when they stepped out of the apartment, blocking the chilly wind with the thick woollen fabric and still smelling a lot like Kagami. It was too big and too long for him, but that was what made it cosier. He had to remember to return the jacket the next time they met at the party, now that he thought about it. But it was really warm and very comfortable on him, he was reluctant to return it.

Maybe he'd get one set as the manager? Tetsuya was a little hopeful.

"Koganei 'senpai' said to meet up at the front gate's at 8." Kise told him, reading the text on his phone screen out loud. He flipped it close and smiled at Tetsuya, offering his arm for him to hold on to. "Shall we go, Tetsucchi?"

Tetsuya took his arm, and nodded.

The sky was already dark, the street lights illuminated the pavement towards the campus. It was a chilly night, not too cold yet not warm at all; the wind was quite strong. Walking next to Kise whilst holding his arm like this, made it seem like they were a couple, mainly due to their height difference and Tetsuya's female disguise. Tetsuya had never been assigned to such a strange job like this, keeping secrets from the target and playing pretend childhood friends with Kise. And now they were going to a party with college kids. Life was odd.

There were already quite a number of people waiting at the front main gates of Seidai University; Koganei, Mitobe, Riko, Hyuuga, Kagami, then some other boys he didn't recognise. Tetsuya was surprised when he saw Kasamatsu and Imayoshi in the group. He'd thought Kasamatsu wasn't supposed to know about this party? He wondered if their plan was found out by the Captain, after all. Imayoshi was there too, although he wasn't a member of the basketball club, if he remembered correctly.

"Ah! Kuroko-chan! Kise! Here!" Koganei waved at them eagerly. Both him and Kise approached the group, he detached himself from the blonde to greet the others.

"Good evening, Koganei-senpai. And the rest of the seniors, too." Tetsuya greeted them, then he went to the redhead next to him. "Good evening, Kagami-kun." He smiled sweetly to the redhead, who murmured a good evening to him with a shy smile.

"You're wearing the jacket." He pointed out softly, blushing and scratching his head.

"Ah, yes. Would you like to take it back?" Though he didn't really want to part with the jacket, just yet.

Kagami shook his head. "Wear it, it's kinda cold tonight. You can return it later."

"Are you sure? Thank you, Kagami-kun. That's very kind of you." Tetsuya earnestly told him. Kagami only grinned.

In the mean time, pleasantries were being exchanged. Kise was mingling with the rest of the group, calling Tetsuya to approach him.

"Tetsucchi, come here!" He coaxed, and Tetsuya obliged, excusing himself to Kagami, who looked reluctant to let him go. Kise was talking to Riko and Hyuuga, something about his first day of being a manager. So far the club was inactive due to the Open House Week, so there hadn't been a proper practice schedule. Riko explained they would need to discuss about the schedules and duties later since Kise mentioned about Tetsuya's 'part-time job'. Tetsuya agreed to the suggestion.

"Oh, that's right. You haven't met the new members yet, right? As a manager, you should know everyone in the club. Not all of them's here though, only some, mostly those who live in the dorm or nearby campus. You'll meet the rest during practice." Riko said, sidestepping to show Tetsuya the boys he couldn't recognise. There were three of them. "They are Sakurai, Furihata and Nakamura. They're first and second years, just recently accepted to the team." She introduced them.

"H - hello, my name is Sakurai Ryou. I'm sorry I didn't introduce myself sooner, Ms. Manager!" A nervous boy greeted Tetsuya, followed by a deep, apologetic bow. Tetsuya blinked, a little confused.

"I'm Furihata Kouki. Nice to meet you, um, Kuroko-san, is it?" A kind looking boy with small eyes smiled and bowed to him.

"… I'm Nakamura Shinya."

The last one was a bespectacled tall boy who seemed quiet, disinterestedly staring at the nameplate of the University. The other two seemed adequately nice and well-mannered, although Sakurai looked a little too nervous and apologetic for no apparent reasons.

Tetsuya bowed politely to them. "Hello, I'm Kuroko Tetsuya, I'm a transfer student and will be a new manager for the Bastketball club."

"Kise Ryouta. Also a transfer student, I'm a new member, too! Tetsucchi here's my childhood friend and housemate, ain't she a cutie?" Kise casually put an arm over Tetsuya's shoulder and laughed. The latter narrowed his eyes as he looked at him, annoyed. Sometimes Kise was too friendly in public — even when Tetsuya had gotten used to it, being Kise's co-worker and friend for years. It wasn't appropriate since Tetsuya was in female disguise now.

"Oh!" Furihata exclaimed, eyes widened in realisation. "Are you two dating?"

"They're  _not_  dating!"

All of a sudden, Kagami appeared from behind them. Kise yelped and sidestepped, unintentionally withdrawing his arm in the impact of the shock. Tetsuya merely stared with widened eyes, he was surprised, although it didn't really show on the outside. Kagami caught him staring and he flushed at once, lowering his gaze towards the asphalt pavement. Everyone in the vicinity stopped talking and stared at the redhead.

"S - sorry. I didn't mean to, uh, what I mean is — I was just going to ask you about - about  _something_. Uh, yeah, what was it again?" Kagami babbled on, incomprehensible, turning to face Tetsuya and effectively blocking Kise behind his back.

The blonde had looked somewhat amused, grinning. Actually, the rest of the seniors around them had similar looks on their faces, as if enlightened in understanding, whispering to each other and nodding like a bunch of wizened sages, or gossiping fishwives. The new members looked a tad confused with the turn of events. Kagami seemed oblivious to it, still stammering to come up with a plausible explanation.

It was getting  _really_  awkward.

"Um, what is it, Kagami-kun? Do you have… something to show me?" Tetsuya decided it would be best to redirect the topic, taking a hold of Kagami's arm to guide him somewhere else the seniors' prying eyes couldn't see. "We can talk on our way to the venue? It's getting late." He nudged the topic out loud, meaningfully glancing at Riko and Hyuuga.

"Oh, right! We should go now, the restaurant's closing at eleven. Let's go, guys!" The female coach announced.

Most of them agreed, to Tetsuya's relief. Now that they were moving, there would be less stares and awkward silent, and more friendly normal talks. He wasn't sure about the latter, but it didn't matter. He had to focus on Kagami for now, he needed to stick to him and watch over him. Tetsuya glanced at Kise, who got his subtle message and went ahead to walk with Kasamatsu and Imayoshi, chatting with the Captain. Kagami and Tetsuya were behind the group, just the two of them.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to embarrass you like that." Kagami murmured grimly, looking guilty.

"You mean about Kise-kun? Well, it's true that we're not dating. He's sometimes too friendly and would do things like hug me without warning, but he doesn't mean any harm." Tetsuya reasoned gently. "Kagami-kun, did you realise I was feeling uncomfortable back then? Is that why you did that?" He asked, tilting his head.

Kagami flushed, he tugged up the neck of his varsity jacket to hide his face. "It's not just that," He murmured and looked down, then he blushed darker. "Y - your hand… "

"Oh," He just realised he was holding to Kagami's arm for a while now, quickly detaching the hold. "I'm sorry, do I make you uncomfortable?"

The redhead looked disappointed. "No. I mean, you can hold on to me if you want, you did that with Kise a - and stuff. I don't mind, really. We're f - friends." He bobbed his elbow up and down, like he was inviting him to hold on to it again. Kagami repeated the motion two or three more times, insistently, when Tetsuya had not taken the invitation quickly enough.

Tetsuya had found it hard to resist when Kagami had put it so adorably like that. He ended up tentatively holding the redhead's arm as they walked side by side. Their sides bumped closely, because it was getting colder and Kagami's body heat felt very nice. He wondered if they also looked like a couple, from a stranger's perspective? Kagami was taller than Kise. Tetsuya must look like a midget compared to him. His head barely reached the redhead's shoulder.

"You're wearing different shoes today." Kagami pointed out, glancing at the blue sneakers Tetsuya was wearing.

"Yes. I find them more comfortable and functional. I actually prefer it this way." Tetsuya replied. He'd ditched the painful high-heeled shoes and was now wearing his male counterpart's belongings. He was quite fond of Converse. "Now I don't have to worry about my ankles chafing. I'm wearing socks, too."

Kagami smiled.

"They look nice on you, Kuroko. Very c - c - c - cu - cute." The redhead cleared his throat, a little too loudly.

Tetsuya looked up to see Kagami had flushed to the tips of his ears, and he blushed at the sight as well, troubled by the sudden acceleration of his own heart. Suddenly, the hand that held Kagami's arm felt too warm, each finger brimmed with the intensity of the heat. He mutedly thanked the redhead for the compliment. Both of them fell quiet after that, enjoying the evening stroll in a comfortable silence.

The rest of the group seemed to pair up in two or three, he noticed. Riko with Hyuuga, Koganei with Mitobe, Kasamatsu and Imayoshi was joined by Kise earlier, and the other three new members walked together. Tetsuya and Kagami paired up as well, since the latter's opinion of Kise was unfriendly at most. He wondered why. Because Kise had let Tetsuya's feet be hurt the last time? … Or because Kagami was attracted to his female persona, thus disliked Kise because of it?

Tetsuya shrugged the thought. It didn't matter. In the end, it was all about the job.  _This_  was temporary, it was never meant to be for long. Tetsuya would eventually finish the job, he'd leave the cover and wouldn't get to meet Kagami again. Once the redhead knew of his true male identity, he would change his opinion and this … momentary infatuation would be over. It had always been like that, a bodyguard's relationship with his client rarely became permanent.

However, it was difficult to dismiss his own growing fondness of Kagami. Tetsuya had to admit.

The Basketball team went to a Japanese restaurant near the train station, about fifteen minutes of walk from Seidai University's gates. The place was quite big and lively, the space was brimming with other students like them. White steams and delicious fragrance from the dishes filled the air thickly. It was very warm inside, so they took off their jackets before walking past the entrance. A waitress in traditional uniform guided them to an area in which there were a row of long square-shaped tables where they could sit all around it, on the tatami matting.

The team picked the furthest one by the corner. Tetsuya sat in between Kagami and Kise, Imayoshi and Kasamatsu sat next to the blonde, and so forth. The waiter brought them the menus, and each picked the dishes they wanted — everyone was shocked that Kagami ordered no less than ten different main dishes for himself alone, though the seniors seemed used to it. They stared at the redhead with a disbelieving look, shaking their heads.

Koganei was about to order some beers, before Kasamatsu interjected and cancelled the order.

"Ugh, this is why we shouldn't bring Captain along! What kind of rule is 'No Alcohol'? Boring!" Koganei pouted sulkily and threw his arms in the air in a show of disastisfaction.

Kasamatsu slammed a fist to the table until the surface shook, causing the unsuspecting new members to jump in their seats. "Huh!? What did you just say, Koganei? You want five laps around the campus by tomorrow morning, is it? Because I  _didn't_  just hear you  _complaining_ , did I?" He fiercely asked with a demanding, authoritative tone, narrowing his eyes at the startled boy.

Koganei clung to Mitobe, shoulders quivering and face paling. The latter comforted him with a pat to the back and shook his head, quietly. Tetsuya, Kise and the new members were taken aback by the Captain's display of authority, as Kasamatsu had acted mostly aloof before.

Imayoshi  _laughed_ , he leaned towards Kise and Tetsuya's side and whispered to them.

"Yukio found out they were planning to have a party without him, from Riko. He's been stressed with studying lately, so he decided to crash the party! I'm just tagging along, to watch. It's amusing." He smirked, nudging up the bridge of his glasses and withdrawing to lean to the other senior. He draped an arm over Kasamatsu's shoulder. "Yukio, loosen up a little, would'ja? You're scaring the new kids."

"Shut it, Imayoshi. I need to discipline them from time to time. They get too cocky if I don't." He crossed his arms over the chest, huffing. "Anyone else's complaining? You're free to go, if you do."

The rest of them made unanimous grunts, none voiced one complain. Kagami just yawned and drunk a glass of water.

"Come on, you're too stiff." Imayoshi persuaded, still laughing. "Should I call Moriyama and Kobori? Might cheer you up a little."

"Don't bother, they're still at home. They'll be back to the dorms next week." Kasamatsu said, face sullen.

"Hmm, no wonder you're in bad mood. Ah well, maybe next time I'll invite more girls in. Koganei, you'd like that, won't you? Let's set up a meeting with the Voleyball girls next time. We can do Karaoke or movies."

Kasamatsu abruptly stiffened in his seat and went strangely quiet, his complexion inexplicably blanching. In the other hand, Koganei had completely recovered his vitality and pumped his fists as he shouted out his enthusiasm with Imayoshi's plans. The others didn't seem to share the same level of enthusiasm, however. Riko was visibly glaring at Hyuuga before the guy could say anything. Kagami looked disinterested. The rest of them just murmured incoherently amongst each other.

"Hey, you'll be a nice bait to catch the girls' attention. How's it? Interested?" Imayoshi turned to Kise, smirking. "Oh, I didn't catch your name, yet. I'm Imayoshi Shoichi, fourth year and Yukio's roommate of two years. I'm not from the Basketball club, just a tagalong." He held up a hand to the blonde.

"Kise Ryouta. Second year transfer student. And yes, please. I'm  _very_  interested." Kise took the hand and firmly shook it, eyes gleaming mischievously. Both exchanged looks and were smiling to each other, sharing a wordless mutual consensus.

Tetsuya wanted to smack Kise and scold him to  _focus_  on the job, but chose to reserve the action later when they were home. For now, he was giving Kise disapproving looks, though he was throughly ignored by the chatty blonde.

When the food came in, it became very lively. Everyone talked among themselves and had fun. Kagami's enormous appetite and the way he inhaled whole portions in a short time before he ordered more food, was baffling, the seniors laughed and told the new guys to get used to their Ace's quirks. The redhead shared some of his food with Tetsuya, although the latter couldn't really eat too much. They chatted pleasantly about a few things, including Tetsuya's new role as the manager and the upcoming club schedules.

"So, what's your favourite type of girl? I can introduce you to some. Think of it as an exchange for helping us, poor single guys. I can get you her numbers if you guys match up at the party." Imayoshi had offered Kise, flipping his cellphone open presumably to access his personal gallery of college girls' contact numbers.

"You shouldn't have, senpai! Actually, if I have a type … hmm, it'll be Tetsucchi, I guess. Cute, elegant and knows how to carry herself. I really like girls like that."

Apparently, this had cleared up Tetsuya's long-time suspicion. So when Kise tutored him with how to act and dress up like female in the beginning, he was actually turning Tetsuya into his very own favourite type of girl. The sneaky bastard.

Tetsuya suddenly felt exhausted, and a bit depressed.

"Huh, so you guys are dating? Sorry, I didn't know." From the corner of his eyes, Kagami had summarily  _broke_  his chopstick into two, the remains hung uselessly in the tightened hold.

"Oh no, please don't misunderstand. We are definitely  _not_  dating, we're only and specifically, friends. Kise-kun, please stop joking around." Tetsuya firmly and sharply dismissed the idea, appalled by the imagery.

"Aww, Tetsucchi, why? See, this is why my feelings are unrequited. Tetsucchi's such a tough girl! It's so hard to steal her heart away." The blonde made a show as if he'd been shot by an arrow to the heart and held his chest with both hands, fainting away due to an invisible force. The group laughed boomingly at his joke.

Meanwhile, Tetsuya quietly facepalmed.

"Um, Kagami-kun, when will your first official game be? I'd like to know." Tetsuya proceeded to try to disperse the tension made apparent by the redhead's stiffening posture.

It worked, Kagami's sullen face immediately brightened up by his question. He was so simple, Tetsuya thought. "Ah yeah, it's gonna be in two weeks. We're having a practice match with another university. Will you come to watch?" He beamed, grinning widely.

"Of course, I will. I look forward to it." Tetsuya gave him an assuring smile, then the redhead blushed and awkwardly scratched his head.

"Oh yeah. The practice match with Ryuuoh Uni. I think your brother's gonna be there. Isn't that right, Kagami?" Koganei suddenly joined in, already a little bit drunk and giddy with the atmosphere.

Tetsuya quirked an eyebrow at that. Kagami Taiga was supposedly an only child, who was this 'brother' Koganei meant? There was no such mention in the profile data, he was sure of it, because he'd read it so many times. Kagami Taiga was definitely an only child.

"You have a brother?" He couldn't resist to ask.

Even more curious, Kagami's posture grew stiff again and his expression hardened. "Not … not biological brother, no. He was, um, my best friend back when we were in the States. He's older than me, so we naturally thought of each other as siblings. We … used to play Basketball together under the same teacher." 'was best friend' were the key words, Tetsuya realised. Something happened between them to change that, then.

"Oh, I see. Please, don't mind me." He didn't pursue the topic further, as Kagami was clearly uncomfortable talking about it. The redhead had looked surprised that Tetsuya opted not to ask anymore, his expression softened and the creases between his eyebrows went away.

Kagami leaned down a little too close to Tetsuya's ear and whispered. "Thanks, Kuroko." Then he withdrew, smiling.

The ear he whispered to, felt like it had been burnt.

The dinner was over at exactly 10 P.M., because Kasamatsu had switched gears into his Dorm Leader role and commanded everyone to finish up before it got too late, they had to man the booth tomorrow too, to look for more new members for the team. Kise and Tetsuya excused themselves earlier because Tetsuya needed to clean up his makeup and take off his disguise to become Ogiwara Shiro again. He had to go back to the dorm as soon as possible. Kagami had sweetly bade him goodnight, which Tetsuya returned, before they had to hurry back to the apartment.

They hailed a cab and in under five minutes, they were back at home.

After the door was closed, Tetsuya practically tore the wig off of his head, unbuttoned the blouse and peeled off the jeans on his way into the hallway. Kise picked up what he left behind on the floor as he dashed towards the bathroom, still clad in corset, nude shapewear shorts and silicone paddings.

It really took forever to get out of all the  _things_  attached to his body. Tetsuya wanted to weep in frustration.

In the bathroom, Tetsuya took off the corset, paddings and shorts. He was hissing as he removed the fake eyelash, and sighing in relief by the end of it, only to repeat the removal process for the other eye. He washed off the makeup (thankfully it wasn't that thick) with liquid facial soap Kise had prepared near the sink, finally relieved from the burden of the disguise completely. He still had to put on male clothes and the wig, then go back to the dorm, quickly. It was already past the curfew — he had to enter from the back door.

In a blur of hurry, he dashed out of the bathroom, put on the shirt Kise provided him and pulled up the jeans he wore the last time, meanwhile the blonde cleaned up the traces of makeup still left on his face, with wet cotton balls. They put a cap on his head, then the wig— a little messier than he'd anticipated, but he could tidy up later. Tetsuya grabbed the phone, wallet and dorm keys he left in the living room, then said goodbye to Kise, the latter waved at him and told him good luck at the threshold of their flat.

He didn't run this time, but was still sort of sweaty and bone-tired, when he reached the backdoor of the dorm building.

Kagami was already inside the room when he stepped in.

"Hey Shiro, where have you been?" Kagami greeted. He'd changed his clothes to the usual shorts and sleeveless shirt, and was now curling barbells, sitting on the edge of the bed.

"I - I got caught up with my friends. Sorry, I'm late." It wasn't a lie. He was with the basketball team, having dinner. Slowly breathing in and out, Tetsuya pulled the chair of his desk and flopped down, feeling the exhaustion creeping in from the back of his mind. He felt sore too, limbs sluggish from the run.

"Don't mind it, we came back late too. Good thing Captain — I mean, Dorm Chief's with us. We got away with it. Can't exactly be sneaky with so many guys around." Tetsuya raised his eyebrows. They actually called Kasamatsu 'Dorm Chief'? He supposed the boy's spartan way of leading sort of warranted such a title.

"That's great, Kagami-senpai. Did you have fun?" It was a rhetorical question, to be polite.

Kagami was a little quiet.

"Yeah, I had fun." He uttered, somewhat mutedly. He fell silent again, curling the iron a few more times, before stopping completely.

"So… Shiro. Ignore me if you think this is a weird question…" He bent his back and lowered the heavy-looking barbells to the floor. They hit the wooden surface with small thuds. Instead of continuing his sentence, however, Kagami looked away and scratched the back of his head, seemingly hesitant. Tetsuya tilted his head and waited.

The redhead cleared his throat, then looked at Tetsuya with his fingers laced over his knees aloofly. He had a completely serious expression on his face, thick eyebrows knitted together. "Do you - do you think, 'love at first sight' is a real thing?" He asked.

If Tetsuya had been drinking water, he'd choke and spurt out the liquid from his mouth, in a comical manner. But because he wasn't drinking anything in particular, he opted to stare and gape, instead. The implication of the question hadn't sunk into his head yet, or maybe he didn't want it to.

"Uh, what do you mean, Senpai? I don't really … understand …" And hopefully, it wasn't about what he thought it was.

Kagami blushed a deep crimson. "Y - you know! I mean, have you had girlfriends before!? Huh!?" He became defensive and a little too aggressive about it.

"I did have … girlfriends, before."

That wasn't a lie, either. Tetsuya had dated exactly two people back in the Academy and after he graduated, during his short-lived policeman career, with a co-worker. Both didn't work out. But he did have some experience in the field.

"Oh. Wow. I didn't think the answer's gonna be positive." Kagami scratched his neck. Well, that was a little rude, Tetsuya thought. "No, actually, that's  _great_! That means, you're pretty experienced about this thing, right?" Out of the blue, Kagami had looked like a brilliant idea struck him from the heavens above, yet Tetsuya had a bad feeling about this.

"So, anyway, what I mean is, uh." He cleared his throat again, for the umpteenth time. "There's this girl … her name is Kuroko. She's very -  _very_. You know. Nice, cute. Graceful. She's into Basketball, too. Not superficially, she really knows about my plays." His lips kept twitching like he couldn't help but to smile.

Oh, Jesus Christ. Did he really have to bust into this topic,  _now_? Tetsuya was still dizzy with all the changes in disguises and personality swaps, he only had half a brain left to function as Ogiwara Shiro, and he had to deal with this tricky situation.

"I … I think I like her." Kagami concluded the point of the conversation, tardily. "She has the most beautiful eyes … clear blue, like the sunny sky or the ocean. I can stare at them for hours. She's also cute, but there's something about her that's so… fascinating. She's so different from all the girls I've met. This is really damn weird, I mean we've only met for a few days, and I'm — "

Tetsuya was now fidgeting uncomfortably in his seat.

" — I'm really, into her. Actually I never - never dated before, so I don't really know what I should do." He fiddled with his thumbs, flushing quietly and staring at the floor. "What do you think, Shiro?" He looked up, red eyes glimmering in expectation.

Kagami really needed to stop looking at him like that — it inexplicably made Tetsuya nervous.

"I don't know what you want me to say, Kagami-senpai." He answered vaguely, then avoided the redhead's gaze. This was getting too far from his comfort zone.

"Well, you dated before. What do you think I should do to … to make her — to make Kuroko, like me?" He stuttered, red to the ears and down his neck. Tetsuya was desperately fighting off the heat that was rushing up to his own cheeks. It was a good thing the wig's front fringe was long enough to partially hide his face — otherwise, it'd be too obvious.

"I - I suppose, you should ask her to go out on a date? Like, shopping?" As soon as the answer flew from his mouth, Tetsuya deeply regretted it, because Kagami had perked up and rose from the bed, his eyes looked at him excitedly like a child's.

"D - do you think she'll like it?" He asked, tone of voice rose to a higher pitch.

Tetsuya wanted to tell him, that Kagami didn't really have to do anything, because Tetsuya already — he stopped that line of thought, suddenly struck with a sense of uncertainty and confusion. What was he thinking? He didn't know the exact word he'd finish that sentence with, and he didn't want to know either.

"Girls like … shopping." There, another vague answer. Tetsuya should stop talking altogether, for god's sake.

"I'll note that. I um, I'm not really confident yet, so maybe I'll try to get to know her better - what she likes and such, then - then I'll ask her out." In the other hand, Kagami had looked inspired and pumped, balled fists thrust up in the air. Then he turned to Tetsuya, grinning toothily. "Thanks a lot, Shiro! I'm glad I asked you about this!"

"Your welcome, Senpai." Tetsuya replied, even more depressed.

Now Tetsuya had to anticipate a possible date invitation from the redhead in the near future, and how the heck should he deal with  _that_? He needed to - to call Kise. He had to talk to someone about  _this_. Though he was sure the blonde would cackle, shake his head and triumphantly say, "I told you so, Tetsucchi!"

After the thoroughly gruelling conversation, Tetsuya excused himself to go to bed, because he was exhausted by all the excitement of the evening. He needed to rest, badly. Kagami left him alone after that, he was glad the talk about the  _girl_   _Kuroko_  had come to an end, at least for the night.

As he was snuggling to the pillow, Tetsuya remembered what he'd learned from the party; Kagami's official first game was in the next two weeks. He couldn't shake the suspicion that something might happen, now that the redhead's injury was healed up and he could play again. He'd have to focus and pay attention to Kagami's wellbeing.

He also mentally noted to investigate this … 'brother' of Kagami's everyone spoke of, later. Tetsuya had a nagging feeling that he might learn something more about the random street assault, when he did.

—

TBC

—

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Oh god, this is the most relaxing writing I've done in a long time! Fluffy stuff rock my world. Will write moar ~ delicious disguises and character interactions cos I need my adorable Seirin - Kaijo - Shuutoku - Touou and other team members, in the mix!


	4. To Be ... Normal

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Hello, hello! Your support brings back another episode! Thank you very much. I really didn't expect this kooky little fic would get support! I mean, this is my side dish for extra fluffy, casual things I didn't get to write lately due to plot reasons. So, next update you won't have to wait a month or two, it'll be out faster since I'm wrapping up my other story (Beastly Call), I do think this story need my attention for a bit.

—

**Stealth Kill**

—

Chapter 4: To Be … Normal

—

The first week had gone smoothly.

Tetsuya had started on his managerial duty, which was fairly simple. All he had to do was get to know every member by name and face, prepare towels before the practice started, take notes of the club meetings about practice schedules, dates of official matches and practice matches, file individual player's data, clean the gym after usage — even laundering the dirty, sweat-soaked towels at the end of the club practice. It was surprisingly physically demanding. At this point, Tetsuya would definitely demand a salary raise the next time he met Akashi.

In the other hand, Kise seemed to have caught the eyes of the Seidai coaches and Captain. He had a talent for the sport — despite being a little rough on the edges — he showed major potentials. They were pleasantly surprised. Tetsuya even overheard of their plans to give the blonde a special training before the next official match. He was more irked than glad, that would mean Kise would have less time for their job, away from the client — until he overheard that Kagami was receiving the very same training, so they would be spending time together for it.

"They said the Captain's in charge for my special training," The blonde scratched his head. They had a short break time, and stole the moment to regroup, sneaking out to the back of the gym building just the two of them.

"I mean, I don't mind it too much, since Kagamicchi would be there, too. But it seems like a lot of work, you know? We're here to watch over the client, and now they're putting me on the bench for the next match."   
  
His sentiments exactly, Tetsuya thought. This was derailing too much from their assignment, but how would they remedy this? Kise couldn't exactly refuse the special training.

Tetsuya admitted Kise was good with the sport, although he wasn't as good as Kagami, in the end of the day. Maybe he was biased, but the redhead was so dedicated — unlike Kise. The blonde would slack from the job to join frat parties and speed dating events if he could afford not to be caught by Tetsuya. He was enjoying this job too much.

And Kagami, well, he'd been nothing but sweet and wonderful to  _Kuroko_. It was sincerely troubling.

True to his words, Kagami tried to spend more time with Kuroko and get to know her. Since the classes hadn't started yet, they'd been doing the Open House booth, tryouts and practices at the gym — three out of three, he was always with Kagami, which was deliberate. In result, however, the redhead had plenty of time asking about personal things Tetsuya had no choice but invent on the spot, the lies mixed with the truths — in order not to give away his true identity. His brain had to work nonstop to make sure he stayed undiscovered.

Kagami had been all grins, pleasantries and light blushes. Kuroko had been mostly tired, a little guilty and nervous.

At night, he could finally take a break by being Ogiwara Shiro — sans the fact that he still had to wear the wig, but it was much bearable. Kagami hadn't been asking more of … love life advices, safe for the occasional gushes Kagami told him, in which flowery, idealised long descriptions of female Kuroko were dished out so very freely. Each time, he'd felt as if his ears were burnt off of its sockets, if they hadn't short-circuited already.

That aside, the investigation wasn't bearing any fruit. Since the incident was months ago, it was difficult to retrace the steps as the trail had gone cold. They had no leads. Tetsuya had asked Kise to investigate the brother and former best friend of Kagami Taiga, with mixed results.

"They met when they were kids back in America, like childhood friends. It's a little later after Kagamicchi's moved to the country. His name is Himuro Tatsuya." Kise started, holding the document files and reading from it. "Later on, Kagamicchi's parents had to go back to Japan for work. Just before highschool started, during last semester of the third year in middle school, they took him with them. Coincidentally, Himuro also moved back to Japan a little while after Kagamicchi did. Here, I have the file you can read."

Tetsuya accepted the document, quickly flipping it open.   
  
 _Himuro Tatsuya. 20 years old. Moved back to Japan at 17 years old, previously lived in the USA, State of California._  The school he moved into …  _Yosen Academy_.   
  
There was an attached photograph of Himuro Tatsuya at the corner; a beautiful black-haired young man with a side fringe that covered one of his eye, and a mole near the visible counterpart. He seemed like the type who'd be popular among women.

Tetsuya thought he'd seen him before, in one of the videos of Kagami's past matches. Yosen lost to Seirin during Kagami's first year of highschool, if he remembered correctly. The player that he'd personally guarded all throughout the game, was Himuro Tatsuya.

"… how about his alibi?" He asked, chewing his lips.

Kise shook his head.

"Not very clear, he wasn't a suspect back then. Because they still considered it a random street assault, no evidence left behind by the attacker. Nothing suggested a planned assault." He approached Tetsuya and leaned close, a finger pointed a certain area over the paper.

"But see this? There's something interesting — it looks like he suffered from some injuries around the time Kagamicchi was attacked. Wounds consistent to a beating."

Tetsuya's eyes made a beeline towards where Kise's finger pointed. Around two months ago, he suffered a few wounds on his torso. There was a minor internal bleeding that required two weeks for full recovery. Tetsuya sucked in the air, when he remembered that Kagami _had fought back and wounded his assailant_. There wasn't a clear information on how Kagami did it, but this could be a potential lead.

"Good enough?" Kise asked.

"I don't know, honestly." Tetsuya told him. The match with Ryuuoh University was next week, what should he do? "We can report this to Akashi. And … maybe contact the university police to amp up the security around the premise of the game."

The blonde shrugged his shoulders. "We need to convince Akashicchi there's an actual threat, though. Otherwise, it's a waste of resources. They won't lend us anything."

Tetsuya bit his lips. Kise was right.

The lead was too vague; he needed a solid one. But he still couldn't shrug away the bad feelings that kept circling around the match — Kagami's first official game after his injury. Why was Tetsuya feeling so uneasy about this? Maybe he was being too paranoid.

Lack of lead and lack of evidence, they had no other option but to tighten the security around Kagami, on their own innitiative. Tetsuya made sure either Kise or him, was with the redhead at all times. On the weekend, he'd go report to Akashi of their progress, maybe Tetsuya could ask his boss to investigate what he'd found so far.

Otherwise, college life had been fairly quiet so far, tinged with occasional colourful events — something Tetsuya hadn't quite gotten used to.

There were instances in which sudden changes of mood were made in split seconds; from silence to absolute uproar, people bursting in and out of their shared rooms seemingly on whims, either shouting or complaining, and sometimes wailing inexplicably — in which the latter was finely displayed by Koganei Shinji, as he once again made his way into their room without invitation, accompanied by his ever silent tall friend.

"Let's go Karaoke, Karaoke! My grades are depressing, I need a break!" Koganei exclaimed one night, raiding their room uninvited. Tetsuya greeted the two seniors, although only Mitobe responded to him. Koganei was busy convincing Kagami to go out with him.

"Koganei-senpai, you just want an excuse to play." Kagami had nonchalantly said, without even looking at the older boy. Seemed like Koganei did this on a regular basis.

The older boy pouted. "Kagami! You're not fun! Ima-senpai is busy tonight … even Captain isn't around and Hyuuga's on a date!  _A date!_  How could he get a girl and I'm  _single_!? It's not fair! I went to more speed dating events than he did, and I  _never_  get even one girl's number! Dammit!" The senior depressively confessed, taking a seat on the floor and resuming to cry his hearts out.

What started as a demand to go to Karaoke had morphed into a lengthy consolation session. The unpredictability of this lifestyle baffled Tetsuya.

Occasionally, Kasamatsu would drop by to check up on their Ace and the new kid (a.k.a. Shiro) to see whether they needed something. He was nice and polite when he wasn't stressed out by studying or occupied with his spartan way of training, which became more and more apparent as Tetsuya spent time with the club as the manager. Captain Kasamatsu was tough, demanded discipline and fair. Kise's slacking, unfortunately had ignited the part of him which set off the tendency to dish out his own style of tough love. Koganei was a frequent receiver of his scolding.

Imayoshi often went around and about with Kasamatsu. The former called the latter by first name basis, that was how close they were. Although Kasamatsu didn't return the sentiment. Tetsuya wondered if he'd call Imayoshi by his first name when they were out of a junior's sight. The bespectacled young man seemed to be a favourite among the partygoers and frat boys, due to his lenience to the dorm's rules. In fact, he encouraged it. Kasamatsu didn't really try to stop the other senior, either. They sort of balanced each other out.

A few days later in the dorms, the two was joined by another senior Tetsuya didn't recognise — a flamboyant young man with a handsome face, whom Kasamatsu introduced as Moriyama Yoshitaka, another senior from the tennis club. The guy gushed about how he couldn't wait to meet the cute new manager he'd been hearing about, because the tennis club only had male managers. Tetsuya quietly withdrew from the conversation and excused himself.

On Sunday, he would take a day off to go to the office and report to Akashi. Tetsuya was glad nothing happened, everything had gone smoothly. Kagami was getting better in mood and health, he was happy for him. It was worth all the troubles he went through, with the disguises and such. So far, so good.

Also, he wouldn't forget about the salary discussion bit.

It was Saturday evening, the Open House had ended a few hours back and Tetsuya was in Shiro's disguise, after preparing for tomorrow's meeting with Akashi. He'd been to the apartment and Kise had gathered the documents they'd researched for the same of the meeting, at Tetsuya's request. Everything was settled for it.

Well, there was only one more night to deal with the college kids. What was the worst that could happen?

So there was another dinner for the dormitory residents, to celebrate the end of the Open House Week.

Most of the attendants were male students who were single (as those who were taken had gone on dates, much to Koganei's jealously-tinged grief) and there were more people, who had come back from the vacation break. They gathered in the common room, tables were set up for the big dinner party. The dinner tables were improvised from the pingpong desk, the coffee table, billiards table, etc. all draped in white sheets. Seating types ranged from sofas to flip metal chairs, dragged from the dorm storage and the administration office.

Kasamatsu and Imayoshi led and hosted the event. As soon as the guys came back, they were dragged in by the Dorm Chief or his Vice-Chief to help set up everything.

The dorm's common room was located in the first floor, open for all, and was big enough to fit in around fifty people for the dinner party. Food supply was donated by the seniors who'd returned with cardboard boxes of raw ingredients from their countryside homes, for what looked like a tradition in this dorm; they brought boxes of fresh vegetables, fruits, seafood, cut meats, rice and jars of pickles. Some even brought bottles of homemade rice and plum wines.

As he was one of the earliest to return to the dorm, Tetsuya was immediately targeted and dragged into the preparation process soon after he walked past the threshold of the entrance.

"Ogiwara! You free? Come help us! We need more men for the dinner preparation." Imayoshi had suddenly appeared out of nowhere and blocked his way towards the corridor's gate, as if scripted, and talked him into accepting. Tetsuya was caught in surprise and lacked of an excuse to refuse, which was why he was easily persuaded into it.

"There is a dinner? I've never heard of it before?" He had to ask though, if he was going to be used as cheap labour.

"Oh, because you're a new kid. Of course you didn't know. It's a tradition in this dorm, when the Open House Week ends and before class starts, we celebrate and party before we all burn to hell with the assignments!" He laughed merrily, although some of the content of what he just said was bitterly sarcastic.   
  
"It's free of charge, by the way, so don't worry. Oh, get the chair from the admin office, wouldja? All five of 'em."

The dinner was free of charge, but he had to work in the preparation for it? This was rather counterproductive.

There was a pleasant surprise to this sudden predicament, however, after which Tetsuya had laboured through moving furniture, he was tasked to bring the boxes of ingredients to the dorm kitchen. Seniority wasn't something he could rebuke under this roof, so he agreed to it, carrying the boxes of fresh daikon, potatoes, onions and carrots to the kitchen, and found that Kagami was there, cooking. Needless to say, he was surprised.

"Kagami-senpai, you can cook?" He asked, amazed. Mitobe had been the one who'd taken the box off of his hands. He was also wearing an apron; a brown apron with a picture of a cute kitten that reminded Tetsuya of someone familiar.   
  
"Mitobe-senpai, you're cooking too?" The silent boy smiled and nodded. There were several other students, all were busy preparing for meals. …and then there was Koganei, on the sidelines near the kitchen entrance, sneaking little bites from the prepared meals.

"Ima-senpai and Captain gathered the guys who cook mean meals for the dinner~" Koganei said, stealing one of the fried chicken balls from a plate. He bit the honey-glazed fried chicken and munched happily. "Kagami and Mitobe are the best cooks here. Hmm, that looks yummy. Can I have that one — " He was met with a fierce glare when he'd accidentally asked Kasamatsu instead. The Dorm Chief was standing on the doorway, arms crossed over his chest and he had a hard, pissed off expression plastered on his face, fuming.

"Koganei. What the hell are you doing, bothering them!? Get your lazy ass back to the common room and help out!"

And with that, he was dragged away by the cuff of his collar by the Dorm Chief, out of the kitchen area, presumably to become another cheap labour to set up the 'dining' room.

"Shiro, can you pass me the black pepper?" Kagami's voice drew his attention from the pair. He realised everyone else in the kitchen was busy making meals and he was the only one with free hands.

"Of course, Kagami-senpai." He took the small seasoning jar that contained crushed black peppers, and handed it to the redhead, who took it from him. Tetsuya watched as Kagami seasoned the meal and continued cooking.

Kagami was wearing his usual red sleeveless shirt beneath a black apron, cooking a large portion of vegetables with a large metal wok and a ladle over a high flame. The heat of the kitchen was intense, which was why the redhead was sweating profusely, a white bandana was tied around his forehead. His biceps strained every time he flipped the pan, sweat dripping down his face and arms. Lines of veins popped just beneath a thin layer of tan skin.

The meal he was cooking gave off a very delicious fragrance, making his mouth water, swallowing. He was at awe with how  _good_  Kagami looked in an apron, and during cooking. Not only was he an excellent basketball player, he was also an excellent cook. They never mentioned anything about his cooking skills in the profile data. This was entirely new to Tetsuya. A wonderful surprise.

Also, he noticed Kagami cooked a lot more than the others did. He made large portions after large portions of meals, all by himself. Someone in the kitchen told him it was because Kagami cooked  _both_  for the other guys  _and_  for himself. Then Tetsuya remembered the redhead's seemingly bottomless appetite from the dinner with the basketball club. It made sense. Nobody could cook that much for just one person.

"Kagami-senpai would make a good husband and boyfriend." He'd remarked, innocently. A lot of girls would think this sort of plus was a desirable trait in men. Tetsuya himself never really cooked, always opting to buy bento boxes from the convenience store or the bento store, whenever he was home.

But Kagami's reaction to such compliment, was to make little choked noises, then clumsily dumped his stirred-fry vegetables onto a plate and spilt some of its content onto the floor. He cursed once, then turned to him with a flushed face, and said.   
  
"Do - do you think so? Do you think  _You-Know-Who_  will like it?" He whispered the last sentence. 'You-Know-Who,' was that some kind of a new secret code? Tetsuya had no comment on that.

Tetsuya realised he should really start filtering what he told Kagami — the redhead thought he was an expert of love life advice and everything he said must be true. Sigh.

The dinner started at eight, and it was an uproar; lively chatters were passed around, little sounds were drowned in the mixture of loud noises. Everyone was excited for the food and drinks, because apparently, that was one the rarer times the Dorm Chief would allow alcohol in the dorms. With his personal supervision, of course. The common room was rearranged to become a substitute dining room, tables and chairs of various sizes and shapes were set to fit all fifty something attendants, which made it rather cramped and everyone's elbows were touching each other's due to the lack of space.

Tetsuya sat between Kagami and Mitobe, across of him, sat Imayoshi, Moriyama, Kasamatsu and a tall senior who was wearing the Volleyball club's uniform jacket. He heard Kasamatsu called him "Kobori," he must be a Fourth Year. Tetsuya looked around and saw some people he recognised; Furihata, Sakurai, Nakamura and Izuki from the basketball club, whom Moriyama was presently speaking to. He didn't find Hyuuga — he must be on a date with the coach.

The amount of food was staggering. They ordered pizzas and food from restaurants, on top of all the homemade meals.   
  
"As usual, some kind soul paid for extra food. Such a generosity, don't you think, Yukio?" Imayoshi nudged the other senior with an elbow, grinning.

Kasamatsu shrugged nonchalantly.

"I don't know who you're talking about." He said. "… someone mustn't let those kids work for nothing, at least. They've worked hard for the Open House. They deserve a prize."

"He's just shy." Moriyama made a comment, chuckling amusedly. " _Yuki_ - _chan_  is such a peculiar senior, don't you think, Izuki my dear?" He cheerfully turned to Izuki, who seemed to be not too comfortable with the senior, but Moriyama was too enthusiastic to notice.

"… Moriyama, if you use that nickname one more time,  _I swear_  …"

They waited until every chair was filled and every meal was served on the table, the rice bowls were steaming and plastic cups were filled with beer or wine. Kasamatsu and Imayoshi gave an opening speech, the first of them gave a formal congratulation to the students for the hard work they contributed to another successful Open House Week and welcomed the new students to the dorms, also to study diligently for the sake of their future.

The second speech by Imayoshi was much shorter in comparison, he mentioned to have fun when they could afford it, that studying needed break from time to time and there was no shame in having fun. Kasamatsu shot him a dubious look at that, but didn't add anything otherwise. In the end Imayoshi raised his glass and urged everyone for a cheers before chugging their drinks. Everyone raised their plastic cups and drank, Tetsuya sipped only a little of the rice wine, for he didn't particularly like alcoholic beverage. Kagami had filled his own cup with apple juice, so he had no problem finishing his.

With that, the feast began.

If boys in general ate quite a lot, young men specialised in sports had even more  _vicious, ferocious_  appetite. No wonder they'd ordered extra portions of meals on top of the homemade cooked meals, because the food was devoured in an incredibly fast pace. Plates upon plates were cleaned off with only grease or crumbs left behind, in just fifteen to twenty minutes into the dinner. What could have fed around eighty people was reduced to a quarter of the original supply, at the first half an hour.

For someone who'd never lived in a boy's dormitory, this was a curious sight. The boys seemed to be capable of multi-tasking between eating, chatting and fooling around at the same time. They started competing for who could eat the most something or who could drink most cups of beers before getting drunk. When they accidentally made a mess of spilt drinks all over the floor, Kasamatsu stood up, yelled at the rowdy bunch and told them to clean up after themselves or they'd be cleaning the toilets for a month. That shut them up right away.

"Here, have some before those guys ate them all." Kagami put a large piece of beef onto his plate.

Tetsuya blinked. He was actually already pretty full, but he appreciated the sentiment. "Thank you, Senpai."

"These, too. You're way too skinny, Shiro. Eat more." He added a few Shiitake mushrooms, two pieces of tuna and half of a baked eggplant.

"Um, I'm already a little full, Senpai … I can't eat too much." He'd tried to decline, politely. His tummy was about to burst.

The seniors who sat across of the table chuckled amusedly. "Taking care of your junior, Kagami? First time having an underclassman of your own to care for, huh? How cute!" Moriyama pointed out, sniggering. Unexpectedly, Kagami flushed at that, face growing crimson. Tetsuya blankly stared at the redhead, taken aback. Their reactions seemed to amuse the seniors even more, laughing and gossiping amongst themselves.

"It - it's nothing big, okay? I mean, sure, I don't have a lot of juniors — but anyway, Moriyama-senpai's exaggerating. This is normal stuff." Kagami cleared his throat, loudly. "I mean, you're my roommate and my junior, so it's normal for me to - to take care of some small stuff for you. Plus, you've been helping me out with private … things."

He really didn't need to be all defensive about it. Tetsuya could feel the corners of his mouth twitching upwards. He felt a little happy, somehow. "It's alright, Kagami-senpai. I understand. Thank you for taking care of me."

Kagami grinned, cheeks flushing lightly. "Y - yeah! You're welcome, Shiro. Anytime."

After the food was all gone, the drinking needs escalated. The boys were complaining when they'd run out of alcoholic beverages. But there weren't a lot of stock in the first place, enough to provide drinks for everyone but not enough to make them all drunk. Tetsuya had a nagging suspicion that Kasamatsu had a control over the amount of supply allowed in the dinner. Tetsuya finished off his portion of wine, but didn't ask for more. He was going to meet Akashi tomorrow, and being hungover was the last thing he had in mind.

Since drinks were out of the question, the after meal desserts consisted of fresh fruits. Very healthy. He'd carried a number of cardboard boxes full of fruits into the kitchen earlier, there were several boxes of pineapples supplied by a senior named Miyaji (as he'd read from the address label on the boxes). There were plates of them on the table, freshly cut. They were delicious, juicy and fresh.

"Miyaji-senpai sent this? He always sends us pineapples, or durians. I wish he'd pick something else … I  _hate_  durians and pineapples." Someone commented, sighing exasperatedly. "Can't you do something about it, Ima-senpai?" A good number of the guys turned their heads to look at the senior, puppy-eyed.

Imayoshi merely shrugged his shoulders. "It's free. Next time, buy your own fruits."

Obviously, they didn't dare to complain to Kasamatsu, as he would've dismissed them the same way.

The dinner ended a little late, around ten-thirty.

Tetsuya helped with the cleaning up, which the Dorm Chief made clear that everyone was obligated to clean up the mess; sweeping the floor, washing the dishes and rearranging the room to its previous arrangement. Kagami had gone ahead to tidy up the kitchen with Mitobe, while Tetsuya gathered the sheets and brought them to the laundry room in the basement. The seniors had told him to dunk the dirty sheets into the machine and wash them overnight, so he did, putting a sufficient amount of powder detergent before he ran it.

Meanwhile, they put the cups and other thrash into a large plastic bag. Some of the guys swept the floor, moved the tables back to where they belonged and dragged the flip chairs back to the admin office. The common room was almost back to its previous glory, no longer needed much assistance. Tetsuya went to the kitchen to see if they needed any help. There were only a few people in the kitchen, including Kagami and Mitobe, who were washing high stacks of dirty dishes and wiping the kitchen counters. The thrash bin almost overflowed, so he picked that first.

When he was back from throwing the thrash, he came to help with the dishes. Kagami grinned gratefully to him. "Thanks, Shiro."

 _Shiro_  returned the smile. "Don't mention it, Kagami-Senpai."

They finished everything and went to bed past eleven.

Exhausted, with a full belly. Kagami went to the showers, while he climbed up the stair to get to his bed. Tetsuya vaguely remembered he had an appointment to meet Akashi at nine in the morning, he had to text Kise to give him a wake up call tomorrow … but he was far too drowsy and tired to lift a hand for his phone, much less composing a message to send to the blonde. He had to remind Kise not to forget the documents, and he had to prepare for his suit. Tetsuya yawned as he stared at the ceilings absently.

Before he knew it, Tetsuya's eyes fluttered close, fallen to a slumber with a sense of satisfaction he hadn't felt for a long time.

—

When he woke up at eight thirty in the morning, Tetsuya knew he was late.

There were ten unread text messages from Kise, some of which asked him where he was, whether he was awake and that they were going to be late for the meeting with Akashi. Instantly alerted with wide eyes, Tetsuya jolted up, got out of bed with a jump down the bunk bed stairs. Kagami was already gone from the bed, presumably for his morning run routine. Damn. No time, he had to go, now. He had his formal clothes back in the apartment, he could just run for it.

With his mind still slightly drowsy, Tetsuya went to fetch his jacket, put it on, grab his keys and phone — slipped into his shoes and dashed off, going through the backdoor for faster access. On a Sunday morning, the university was very empty. The weather was cool, pleasant. The trees and bushes gave off a really refreshing smell, one should be enjoying a stroll along the campus, yet Tetsuya was rushing to get to his appointment.

This was the second time in a week that he had to run as if his life depended on it. He called Kise on his way to the apartment, told him to get his suit ready. He had to shower first, there was no way they would make it in time, so he told Kise to call Akashi and inform him they were going to be late. He felt guilty for having overslept, but at this point, he couldn't do anything about it. This was unprofessional, he scolded himself. Making his boss wait, what the hell was he doing?

"Morning, Tetsucchi. I've prepared your suit in the bedroom." Kise immediately sidestepped as soon as he opened the front door, allowing him to enter and make a beeline straight to the bathroom.

After he finished showering, he took a look at the clock. It was already nine. Tetsuya huffed, irritated, then went to the bedroom to change clothes. Kise was waiting for him at the living room sofa, in which it was a makeshift dressing room full of things meant for his disguises; three-way mirrors with numerous lamps, a big box of makeup, there were even mannequin heads with wigs displayed in the bookshelves. The blonde smiled, and showed the documents he'd prepared for the meeting, flapping it in his hand.

"Ready to go? Like they say, it's  _fashionable_  to be late." He teasingly said.

Tetsuya scowled, his fingers were busy tying the knot of the silk tie the blonde chose for him. He was wearing a set of black suit with a grey vest and white shirt underneath. A little too fancy for a short meeting, but that was what Kise prepared for him to wear. He wasn't big on leather shoes, yet it fitted the rest of the image. "Please don't make fun of me, Kise-kun. While it's no excuse, I do have a reason as to why I am late."

"It's your fault for having a party without me, Tetsucchi! Why can't I be living in the dorms, too? It's unfair." The blonde pouted, rising up from the sofa. He'd slipped the documents into a black leather bag which matched the suit he was wearing, he wore a light blue cravat instead of a tie. It was the same colour as the tie Tetsuya was wearing — the blonde had a thing for matching clothes.

Tetsuya sighed, he grabbed the car keys from the table on his right and tossed it at Kise. "Good question, you should ask that to Akashi-san."

The blonde caught the keys, rolling it with the ring in his index finger. "Maybe I would."

"We're late. Let's go." He clenched his jaw. He was feeling uneasy that he had to leave Kagami by himself for a few hours. "Kagami-kun is out on a morning run right now. I don't think he'll leave the university today, but I'd like to return as soon as we're done with the report."

"As dutiful as ever." Kise shrugged, grinning.

He knew there hadn't been suspicious persons or activities, but he was a bodyguard and a bodyguard's job was to be his client's  _shadow._ A shadow was not supposed to stray from its main body. Kise was driving today, the car the company lent them hadn't been used in a while, but the tank was still full. Maybe Kise had gone out to fill it the day before. They drove off from the basement of the apartment's parking lot, into the neighbourhood streets.

"Akashicchi changed the meeting place." Kise told him. "He wants to meet us in a hotel at downtown Shibuya. Looks like he's going to treat us to some fine dining. I like his style."

Tetsuya rolled his eyes. "You just want free food."

"Guilty as charged." The blonde waggled his eyebrows meaningfully.

The hotel was located at downtown area, usually it would be quite crowded, but not on a Sunday morning. It was very peaceful. Without the traffic jam, it only took twenty minutes of car ride from the apartment to reach their destination. They'd used the GPS monitor to get to the hotel Akashi had mentioned in his text — the hotel in question turned out to be a large, luxurious hotel with sky-high structure with gold coating on the windows, for the entirety of its length, making it seem all the more glamorous.

Kise and Tetsuya got off the car, the former handed the keys to the valet service in a velvet red uniform. There was a line of a red carpet from the front entrance, very classy. They had to go through a metal detector before they could proceed. Then, a man in black suit approached them at the lobby entrance, recognised them by name and face, and told them  _Master_  Akashi Seijuurou was expecting them in the restaurant. Both he and Kise exchanged looks. Master Akashi. That was different.

The man led them into the hotel, which was far bigger than how it looked from the outside. There was a view of a Zen garden that could be seen from the inside of the hotel's corridors, through tall plates of glass. He realised the reason why the hotel seemed bigger was because they didn't build walls around the junction corridors, they had high glass windows with the views of the garden, letting in plenty of natural sunlights. It didn't feel confining at all.

The hotel itself was quite beautifully furnished, with classic decorations such as flower arrangements and paintings, gracefully woven rugs used as the carpeting, and shiny wooden furniture. It must be expensive to stay for a night there. The blonde seemed to think that way as well, wondering out loud how much it would cost for a regular room. Tetsuya had lost count of how many girlfriends or boyfriends Kise had so far, it did seem like he was presently single. He had always been the popular type. Tetsuya in the other hand … he brushed away the unpleasant thought. It wasn't important.

Akashi was as graceful and elegant as he'd last seen him, he looked like a royalty as he sat on a chair with legs crossed casually, reading a newspaper. Their escort announced their arrival, before anyone could say anything, causing the redhead to lift up his jaw and smile at them.

"Good morning, Kuroko. Kise. It's good to see you two, it's been a while." Akashi greeted, rising from his seat and folding the newspaper. The man in black suit hurried to his side to take the newspaper from Akashi. "I am still reading it, please do fold it and return it to me after I am done speaking with these gentlemen. Thank you." He gave a charming smile to the man, who seemed completely taken in by Akashi's demeanour.

This was why their boss was a force to be reckoned with, Tetsuya secretly thought. He could charm almost anyone so naturally, it was abnormal and frightening. People would just follow him blindly, worshipping the grounds he walked on — like the day he built his own Private Bodyguard Firm, a success story at such a young age.

"Order whatever you want if you're hungry, you don't need to pay." He offered as they took a seat, fingers laced together. "Why, Kuroko. You look refreshed, has something good happened to you recently?"

The blonde perked up, grinning. "Oh! Tetsucchi's totally crushing on the new client — _oww!_ " Tetsuya was currently attempting to drill a hole into Kise's foot with his own. The blonde had such a big mouth, he should stuff it with something — like the swan-shaped napkin right in front him.  _Very_  tempting.

Akashi quirked an eyebrow at that, seemingly amused.

"Ah, Kagami Taiga. Yes. How is he? I haven't the pleasure of meeting him in person, unfortunately. I'd like to know more. Do you get along with him?" He urged, gently.

Tetsuya breathed in, deeply. "Yes. Kagami-kun is a good person. He has been nothing but wonderful to both of my … personas. He is polite and nice, I admire him." Tetsuya admitted, his cheeks heating up a little bit. "… I believe, despite the challenges presented to us, we've managed to do our tasks without anyone realising our true identity. Akashi-san. So far, there hasn't been anything of suspect. Kagami-kun is constantly surrounded by his peers, as well. While there is no cause to worry, caution is still necessary. He has just recovered from an injury, after all."

Akashi nodded once.

"Your disguises. Yes. Forgive me, that you have to go through such a difficult job description. It was a personal favour asked of me, so I'd like it if you could keep it a secret from the target for as long as possible." Akashi tilted his head. He gave him a sympathetic smile. "I'm aware of how odd the nature of this task truly be, and I'm willing to compensate for any discomfort and troubles you've been facing, Kuroko and Kise. Before we proceed with the details of the report, however, do you have any question you'd like to ask me?"

"I do have a question. Akashi-san." Tetsuya started. "The classes — the university will soon begin its new semester, and I have two different disguises from different terms and years. How should I do this? Do I need to attend to classes like a normal student?"

"I have classes with Kagamicchi too, so naturally I'll be going to school with him. Gotta keep an eye on him." Kise said. "But yeah, I'm curious too. How would Tetsucchi do it? Is he going as the girl Tetsucchi or as Shiro?"

Akashi took a moment to think it over. "Well, I have used my connection with the University's Board of Directors to register both Kuroko and Kise as temporary students. However, in Shiro's case, I merely registered him into the dormitory. You do not need to go to classes as Ogiwara Shiro, but you are still required to attend classes as Kuroko Tetsuya. Please do use this opportunity to gain a better understanding of the university's dynamics. I believe it will be important for the case."

"… you mean, intelligence gathering?" Tetsuya blurted out, surprised. That was actually Kise's specialty. His was investigation and personal protection, other than the disguise. "We are still investigating the random street assault case, but is that really necessary to do?"

Akashi's expression grew serious, crimson eyes glinting strangely. "Yes, I believe so. I will listen to your report regarding the random street assault case, but I must make you aware of another fact — Yesterday, we have received a threat call."

Tetsuya wasn't sure if he had heard right. "A threat call…? What do you mean?" He inhaled sharply, he felt a lump stuck in the back of his throat. "For Kagami-kun?"

Akashi shook his head.

"The message itself is quite ambiguous. But it's safe to conclude that they're targeting someone from Seidai University. The message sent to us, says as following;  _'… I will assault the Light after the sun rises in the East. I will put out the Light like a candle blown by the wind. When he thinks he burns brighter than ever before, I will put him out of his misery. I will throw him down the darkest pit of hell, where he belongs.'_  The caller recited the exact date of Kagami's first official game. I don't think it's a coincidence."

"Wait, the message was sent to our office?" Kise interrupted, eyes widened. "How the hell did they know we're taking the job to guard him? It's a supposed to be a secret!"

One of Akashi's eyes switched to golden, his expression grew grim, cast with a dark shadow. Both Kise and Tetsuya held their breaths. "We do not know who instigated the leak, yet. I have my men investigating this as we speak. I do not like the knowledge of someone in  _my_  firm, playing with  _my_  things and sharing without  _my_  permission. I will catch this rat and I will deal with them,  _accordingly_."

Tetsuya swallowed, balling his fists. He was still digesting the information, taking its weight bit by bit. "Is there… anything else?"

The eyes switched back to a pair of red. The redhead's whole demeanour softened considerably, back to his friendly self. He gave them an apologetic smile. "We've tried to track where the call came from, and what we've discovered, was that the call was made from a public phone inside of the Seidai University area, near the Theatre and Performing Arts Campus. This is why you must remain cautious, and try to gather as much information as possible."

He felt a tinge of nausea rising from the pit of his stomach. The Performing Arts Campus wasn't very far from their dormitory. It was the nearest campus to the gym building the Basketball club used. "This — I have to go." Tetsuya said, standing up suddenly. "I have to go back! Kagami-kun is having his routine morning run, he's  _alone_  — "

"Please calm down, Kuroko. Do not worry. I have everything under control." Akashi reassured him. "I'm aware that the situation have grown quite dire, thus I've sent an email to Kagami Taiga's parents to see whether they'd like to raise the level of security for their son. Although they haven't given me a reply, I've already assigned two more bodyguards for him this morning. Just in case."

Tetsuya gaped, staring at the redhead. He wasn't aware there was another bodyguard around, but then again he overslept. "I — who did you assign the job to?"

"Midorima and Takao. They've just recently finished their one-year contract, I thought it would be good for them to take a casual assignment for now." He explained. "They sent me a message, Takao is following Kagami as we speak. Kuroko. You may rest easy."

Midorima and Takao. Two bodyguards of the Top Six in the firm, if it were them, Tetsuya didn't have to worry too much. He sighed, hearing his heart still beating in his ribcage. He sat down, again, he tried to cool down his nerves. A threat call. It might be a prank call, but, would a prank call be sent directly to a Private Bodyguard Firm? Just how much was the level of danger Kagami was in? He needed to know, and then prepare himself. He had to protect Kagami. He didn't like the lack of understanding in this case.

"Takaocchi, huh? I'm looking forward to working with him! It's been a while since I saw Midorimacchi, too." Kise commented cheerfully. "Though, are you going to make them go undercover like us too, Akashicchi?"

"No. It's not necessary. I will have them as your backup for the investigation, and to protect Kagami from afar. We're still keeping this a secret, at least until we know for sure, that the threat is something to be taken seriously." He told them. "That being said, Kuroko. I do need you to keep up with your good work, keep your identity a secret for a while longer. Can you do that?"

"Y - yeah. I mean, yes. Akashi-san. Of course." He repeated, with a firmer voice. He had to keep his composure, think over the possibilities and do his best to execute the tasks. He needed to calm down, be rational and be effective. He needed to protect Kagami, no matter what.

"That's all I wanted to hear." The redhead smiled. "Now, I'd like hear the details of your report. Oh, and, what did Kise mean by you  _crushing on your client_ , Kuroko? Care to elaborate on that?" His smile became wider, brighter and ever so elegant.

Shit.

—

TBC.

—


	5. To Be an Impartial Advisor

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Have you ever written too many angsty stories that you ended up unable to continue a humorous one? I wish I can say me neither. But hey, I’m continuing this one. Cross fingers. We’ll plot and we’ll have fun with it!

—

**Stealth Kill**

—

Chapter 5: To Be an Impartial Advisor

—

Kuroko Tetsuya hated being late for appointments.

But lately, it just seemed impossible to remain entirely professional when he was surrounded by those who just did not act as silently enthusiastic as he was (about being professional).

It took a while convincing Akashi that Kise was being an asshole. That what he said was merely a stupid prank that was no more believable than the myth of the Yeti. Thus they ended up late for their next meeting — although to be fair, this meeting was not predetermined.

The things he told to himself to remain the sane man in the bunch.

Midorima was unhappy when Tetsuya and Kise finally returned from their meeting with Akashi. They were supposed to meet up ten minutes earlier at a cafe outside of the college, but having to explain things to their boss (that Tetsuya had been completely, thoroughly professional since day one) took some time.

"Where have you been?" Midorima frowned deeply. He was waiting for them at the table in the cafe, drinking his coffee by himself. Takao was nowhere to be found.

Tetsuya and Kise took seats across of him, the former tugged the collar button loose as he did. He was growing tired of elaborate clothes the blonde had him wear. He couldn't wait to be Shiro and wear baggy clothings.

"Meeting with Akashi-san went on for a little too long." Tetsuya said before Kise could, he even shot a warning glare at the blonde to shut him up. Which of course, Kise completely ignored. "What about Kagami-kun? Where is he?"

"We were talking about a lot ~ of fun things." Kise sing sang, he shot Tetsuya a suggestive smirk.

Thankfully, Midorima didn't seem too interested in what he was suggesting. "Takao is watching over the client at the moment. I'm here to learn of your progress so far."

He looked towards Tetsuya, clearly the more responsible and coherent of the two. Tetsuya straightened his back, and cleared his throat.

"Alright, I'm going to explain everything we have done and observed so far." His gaze darted off a little bit. "What have Akashi told you?"

"Just bits and pieces. We received the client's files and the special requests asked of us, around two days after we finished our previous job." Midorima curtly said. He looked at Tetsuya.

"It seemed that the decision to have you in female disguise is rather unnecessary, especially when you have to commit to yet another different sort of identity. It would have sufficed for you to stick to a single normal disguise for the purpose, especially given you are not alone in this job."

Tetsuya felt as if there was a weight was lifted off his shoulders. Finally, someone who saw the ridiculousness of the whole thing.

"I've thought so as well, I believe it should have been more convenient if I were to assume the identity of Shiro from the very start — "

"But it won't be a good rom-com story if it's too logical." Kise pointed out bluntly.

Both Midorima and Tetsuya stared at the blonde like he was the dumbass he always was, with a near synchronised sigh of exaggerated exasperation.

" … I suppose since it has been done, it can't be helped now." Midorima commented, ignoring Kise.

"Yes … that is true." Tetsuya rubbed his temples.

Now because Kagami's attention had been so inclined to the Female Kuroko's disguise, they could no longer terminate the disguise too suddenly. Shiro's persona was the more disposable of the two, as he was set as such, to be as unnoticeable a presence as he possible could.

The only comfort he could take in was the fact that this mission was temporary and that he could demand for a better pay by the end of it.

Especially, the latter. Extra cash never hurt.

"Very well. Let's speak of the progress of the past few weeks." Midorima pushed up his glasses, then proceeded to retrieve a mini laptop from his bag. He set it on the table next to an empty mug.

Tetsuya nodded. He would provide the more intimate details of his bodyguarding duties and the client's daily schedule, while Kise would fill in from a more distant perspective, like who Kagami interacted with frequently, where the team hung out and the relationships between him and them.

Tetsuya provided an insight of their investigation and that there hadn't been a threat so far. But there was no leads either. Nothing to give them an idea of who had been planning for the assault. There was the stories about the dorms that Tetsuya indulged in a little bit. He mentioned that he'd purposely set up a few cameras inside their shared room, just in case an intruder show up. Otherwise, life in the campus had been peaceful.

"A threat call. How curious." Midorima commented just as they were done with their explanation.

"So they — whoever they are — do not intend to lay a move until the spotlight is firmly set on our client's way — the comeback match, which will garner quite the public and media attention. What do they want to gain from it, I wonder?"

"Honestly, it's gonna be hard if someone's attacking when the match is on." Kise added, scratching his head. "I mean, it's practically ambush. We need some kind of plan."

"Kise-kun's right." Tetsuya clenched his jaw. "We need to discuss this further. We need to scope the stadium, check the audience seats and the floorboards for possible booby traps — preferably, before the match takes place."

Midorima nodded. "It's a start. You and Kise can continue your duties, Takao and I will check the security details they have in the campus."

"I'll check the venue with Riko-san and the Coach." Tetsuya said.

Midorima typed something into his laptop. "I'll arrange a checkup for the area — excuse me for a moment." He turned away when his cellphone started ringing."Midorima Shintarou." He curtly greeted, carefully getting off the seat to walk away with the phone pressed against his ear. "Yes, I'm with Kise and Kuroko. Where are you?"

As Midorima was speaking on the phone, Tetsuya turned to Kise to continue the discussion. "Do you think we should check the gym for bugs?" He asked.

"The gym isn't locked up until eleven at night, until then, anyone can get in. The locker room too." Especially since the locker room and the showers weren't typically locked regularly. The lock wasn't the most intricate to break into and assemble back either.

"We can … I can get the equipments from the office. I'll drive there to get them, Sakurai should be in charge for auxiliaries. " Kise said, scratching his head.

"I'll get the keys." As a club manager, Kuroko would be able to get the keys from Riko without rousing suspicion. He could volunteer to lock up earlier after the cleaning. He thought about it. Shiro should check their shared room too. He hadn't gotten the chance and the means for a thorough check.

"Kuroko."

Tetsuya lifted his head to see Midorima walking up to him, his phone in hand and thrust towards his way. "Takao said he needs to talk to you."

Tetsuya accepted the phone quickly. "Takao-kun? Is there something wrong? Where is Kagami-kun? Is he alright?" Before Takao could say anything, he launched the questions rapidly.

Kise grinned knowingly, while Midorima was oblivious, busy with his laptop.

" _Wow, Kuroko. Chill. Your client's okay."_ Takao's voice replied, sounding as lively as ever.

" _He's gone into the gym though. I can't follow him in, like… he's gone into the locker room. Maybe taking a shower I guess? He's pretty soaked through his shirt after the run. Athletes, right?"_ He joked lightly.

Tetsuya sighed in relief. Kagami was alright, at the moment. But then he wasn't properly guarded, without Kise and Tetsuya around. "Takao-kun, please keep an eye out for Kagami-kun. I'll be there soon." He said.

" _Don't worry, man. I got you covered. I'll get in there somehow if he doesn't come out after ten minutes or something."_

He could just imagine Kagami screaming and getting mad if he knew a peeping tom had broken into the locker rooms when he was showering. But this was a matter of life and death. 

"… please do so." He swiftly gave Takao the permission. "Until then, please do whatever you think necessary to keep him safe. Thank you and I'm sorry for the inconvenience." He ended the call, handed the cellphone to Midorima, and then forcefully dragged Kise off to their headquarters because they needed to get Tetsuya into disguise. Midorima didn't comment on the sudden leave, because he understood that Tetsuya took his job very  _seriously_.

It might be a tad repetitive to repeat it so many times, but goddammit, he felt like he was the only one who cared. The only sane man there.

After an hour of makeup, wig, corsets, fake breasts, shapewear underwear and tucking his business away, Tetsuya was ready. He wore his hair (wig) up in a ponytail, he had minimal makeup on while his outfit consisted of a sky blue hoodie jacket over a white tanktop, grey yoga pants and a pair of white trainer shoes.

They had, however, one screeching moment of pause when Tetsuya checked himself in the mirror.

"… why are these pants so tight?" He eyed the yoga pants warily.

If it wasn't for the hoodie that covered his butt, people would've been able to see the tightness of his fake, padded buttocks. It was incredibly comfortable and stretchy, but very tight fitting. Uncomfortably so. He felt like he wasn't actually wearing anything down there.

"It's the staple, Kurokocchi ~ I mean, girls these days wear yoga pants to the gym. It's super hot." Kise gleefully said, clearly aware of his choice of wardrobe.

This was obviously part of his many devious fetishes that Tetsuya had to suffer under, due to the assigned partnership. Tetsuya was compelled to ask for another one, but he feared he might end up with something so short, the undersides of his butt would be on display. He shuddered at the thought.

Tetsuya was becoming very perceptive of Kise's tastes, which really wasn't a comforting wisdom.

"… alright, let's… let's just go. We can't make Takao-kun wait for too long…" He rubbed his aching temples, giving into this fate.

Kise only had to change clothes into his varsity and shorts for gym, which didn't even take ten minutes to do. Tetsuya was momentarily overcame with the urge to destroy, for a total of twenty seconds, before he cooled down. He reminded himself that at least he wasn't as much an insufferable dumbass and perverted as Kise was.

Besides, he could get back at the blonde after the mission. Something terrifying, maybe. Like months worth of paperworks. Kise hated paperworks.

Kise drove them to the campus. He parked the car in front of Gym 5 building, Tetsuya called Takao for a brief meeting. They'd switch their shift then. Takao told them he'd wait for them at the back of the gym — by then, Kagami was practicing basketball with some of the seniors. Just his usual routine.

Kise would then join the team practice while Tetsuya acted as a manager, he'd find a way to get the gym keys from Riko later.

Tetsuya was a little surprise that Takao was blending in very well with the scene, dressed up like your average college student. He was in sweats and jeans getup with sneakers and a baseball cap on, drinking soda. He waved at them when they approached him.

"Hey, good work! How was the meeting with Akashi?" Takao asked with a wide smile.

One wouldn't think for a moment someone as friendly as Takao would be a bodyguard. He was a long time partner of Midorima's too. So far, the only one that lasted the longest.

While many before had complained about Midorima's controlling, perfectionist method and had quit due to that. Yet Takao remained. He never filed complaints about the partnership, never uttered bad words about Midorima's way of doing things.

Midorima had complained Takao's seemingly easygoing attitude at the beginning of their partnership, but he'd since loosened up for the guy. More specifically, he loosened up for Takao only. It was an odd sort of friendship.

For Tetsuya, that was a mystery that he probably would never be able to crack.

"It was informative. Thank you for your assistance." He bowed a bit, noticing the stare Takao was giving him. Of course he would, Tetsuya thought, mentally eye-rolling.

"Kuroko, you look good.  _Wow_. It's amazing, as always." Takao rubbed his chin in amazement. "You really look like a girl. I can't tell a difference. Blew my mind every time I see it."

Tetsuya's eyebrow twitched. He really hated it when people praised how girly he looked. It didn't feel like a compliment at all. Yet nobody seemed to care about his opinions.

"I know right?  _She's_  my greatest creation!" Kise chimed in, with a smug grin on his face that Tetsuya would love to wipe off with the soles of his trainers.

Maybe he'd wait until he rubbed enough mud on them, first.

"My appearances aside." He switched the topic elsewhere. "We'll continue the shift from now on. Midorima-kun will fill you in on the updates."

"Got it. Kagami's at the gym, playing basketball with his friends. They're his teammates I guess." Takao said.

"Yes, the team is scheduled for a practice today. Kise-kun is a member of the team and I am acting as a manager." He explained.

Takao gave a wolf whistle. "Nice. Looks like you guys got things covered already. Guess that means me and Shin-chan are doing the background works."

"Oh, right, Takaocchi. You and Midorimacchi can drop by at our apartment. We got everything about the job there. I can talk about it later, Kurokocchi's gotta be around the client all the time." Kise walked up to Takao. Tetsuya could hear a metallic jingle — Kise gave a spare key to Takao, then whispered something to him.

"Thanks for the offer, Kise. We haven't gotten around to arrange for lodging, that's a great help." Takao grinned toothily at the blonde.

Kise returned the smile. He patted Takao on the shoulder. "Got a lot of fun stories to tell ya, man. Life as a college student is full of interesting stories."

Tetsuya knew this was coming sooner or later, and he was powerless to stop it because nobody in his circle of friends knew what personal space meant.

"We should go." He curtly said, nudging at Kise's side. He dug his elbow in for good measure.

"Ow, okay, okay." The blonde said, grimacing. They parted ways at the back door of the gym. "See ya later, Takaocchi! Tell Midorimacchi I said hi!"

He waved at Takao, who waved back at them, smiling.

Kise put a hand on Tetsuya's waist as they entered the gym. He stood close like a boyfriend would. They behaved as such, which was the point of them acting like childhood friends. They were required to act close, for Kise to be comfortable with physical gestures and for Kuroko to act as less shy around him. It wasn't a big deal because they were actually two dudes, but to other people, they looked like they were romantically involved.

Which didn't sit well with Kagami, who was romantically interested in the Female Kuroko.

And due to some dumb luck, just as they were entering from the back door, talking about what they were going to do quietly, Kise leaning down to whisper something to Tetsuya, awfully close — and there he was, the hot-headed redhead, standing by the water dispenser for a drink. His eyes on them, wide.

Like some kind of betrayal scene from a cheesy romance soap drama.

Tetsuya didn't know why he froze there, like he was caught redhanded doing something terrible. He had to rationalise things on the spot, that he didn't actually do anything wrong. But the coming silence was a little too tense for comfort.

Kise glanced at Tetsuya, then at Kagami, both staring at each other without blinking. The blonde had the decency to pick up the mood and break the awkward pause.

"Yeah, so, we need a bunch of new toilet papers! I ate too much yesterday, so we ran out ~ sorry, Tetsucchi, my bad!"

The blonde blurted out loud with a boisterous laugh, as if oblivious to the tension, which was actually very effective. Tetsuya snapped out of it. He blinked at Kise, before he could reply.

"Kise-kun, please stop saying such things in public. It's embarrassing." He chided the blonde, playing along with the charade.

"Sorry, sorry. I'll pay you back later, 'kay? I got a blind date coming up tonight! Wouldn't want to make a bad impression on first date, you know?" He winked at Tetsuya, before he stepped back to widen their distance.

"Kagamicchi. Sorry, I overslept. The team started already?" He turned to ask the redhead.

It took Kagami a second to snap out of it. "Huh? Yeah, we started some time ago. Captain ain't gonna be happy that you're late." Kagami frowned deeply, annoyed.

" _Oops_. Guess that means I gotta go now. I'll see you later, Tetsucchi!" With a well-practiced, mock cheerfulness, Kise promptly skipped off to the gym, humming to himself happily.

Tetsuya watched him go, relieved of the tension. Or at least he thought the tension had been relieved.

He walked up to Kagami, putting on a smile on his face to greet the redhead as he normally would.

"Kagami-kun, how is the practice?" 'Kuroko' asked, acting like the manager he was supposed to.

But Kagami didn't return his smile, he didn't even reply. He looked at Kuroko, but quickly averted his gaze, staring at the water dispenser instead. He was quiet, and he was probably gripping at the dispenser a little too tightly.

Tetsuya blinked. He didn't know why Kagami was quiet. "Kagami-kun? Are you alright?" He asked again, his hand hovered above the redhead's shoulder.

"Is he treating you right?" Kagami suddenly said.

Tetsuya blinked.

"Excuse me? Who do you mean…?"

"That guy… Kise. Is he treating you right?" Kagami slowly turned to him. Tetsuya was astonished that he looked very… serious. Solemn. But troubled at the same time.

"Kise-kun… he's a nice person. He's silly but he's kind." He replied, unsure of what this was about.

"Really? Because … because to me, it doesn't look like he does." Kagami's hand went up his hair, in a show of frustration. "It looks to me, he's leading you on. Like he's taking advantage of you — he — he didn't even hide that he's dating other people."

Tetsuya was genuinely confused.

"Leading me on, how, exactly? I don't understand." He looked at the redhead, trying to get a read, but apparently Kagami was such an open book that he got a bit of everything. Too many to catch on.

Kagami glanced down at Tetsuya with one eye, the other eye was covered by his hand. His hair messy and his skin was dripping with sweat. Tetsuya didn't know why he was watching the droplets slipping down his neck.

Kagami began moving, stepping closer to Tetsuya. The latter unconsciously took a step back. He swallowed, still puzzled. "Kagami-kun?" He warily called.

The redhead stared at him. His expression twisted into something like he was hurt. "You like him, don't you?" He said, his voice strained.

"You like Kise."

And then suddenly, the tension morphed into something awful.

Tetsuya stared at Kagami, lips parted in a gape. He wasn't sure if he heard him right, or maybe he was joking. Or this was some kind of a punishment game and Tetsuya was waiting if someone was going to crack, to laugh and say it was all a joke.

But no, the coming awkward silence told him, that nope, Kagami was in fact very,  _very_  serious.

"Um." Tetsuya blinked, five times in a second. "I think there's a misunderstanding here. I don't think Kise-kun is leading me on or taking advantage of me in any way."

But then he paused, Tetsuya realised that yeah, Kise did took advantage of him with the outfits he had to wear — but that was entirely different. It was Kise being a pervert, nothing about him cheating on Tetsuya in romantic sense. They were both dudes, and co-workers too boot.

And of course, Kagami took his pause the wrong way.

"You really do like him." The redhead grimly said, his face darkened. "I… I guess that's not a surprise. You two are so close…" He began mumbling.

"You'll make excuses about how he's not awful to you… and I'm going to feel even more shitty… because you like him so much, you'd excuse his behavior. You're such a nice girl, of course you would. H — he doesn't deserve you… why him? Why not m — m — me…?"

Tetsuya was dumbfounded. Was this seriously happening? Was it real? Really? Great, it was real and he had to deal with it. The fucking dumb blonde had already made his swift escape fifteen minutes ago.

His head was starting to hurt.

"Kagami-kun." Tetsuya stepped forward, right into Kagami's personal space. He looked up at the much taller redhead, right in the eyes, which took Kagami by surprise. He seemed speechless.

"I think there has been a terrible misunderstanding here. I do not have romantic feelings towards Kise-kun. Not at all." He started calmly, composed.

Tetsuya took Kagami's hands into his. The latter blushed upon skin contact, but Tetsuya remained calm. As a bodyguard, he had to keep his composure  _at all times._

"We are just friends, therefore nobody is leading on anyone. Nor is he taking advantage of me — if he does, it won't be anything remotely romantic. Quite frankly, he is not my type at all. He is a dumbass, a pervert and frivolous." Tetsuya bluntly said.

Meanwhile at the gym court, Kise sneezed up a storm. Captain Kasamatsu hit him upside the head for sneezing at his knee socks.

Kagami stared at him. "A pervert… Kise…?"

He blinked and Kagami was suddenly enraged. Crap, Tetsuya didn't mean to do that.

"What the hell did he do to you!?" The redhead exploded right there and then, clutching Tetsuya's hands in worry and in anger, as if Kise had tainted his innocence. Of all people, Kise. If he could have a choice, Midorima would be the better candidate to be romantically involved with, but that was beside the point.

"He didn't do anything. I was speaking in general sense." Tetsuya quickly tried to rectify the situation. "Kise-kun has always been that way, outspoken, he's always been popular with girls. And no, he's never done anything unsavoury to me."

Kagami was unconvinced. "Really?"

"Yes." Tetsuya sighed. This wasn't really what he wanted to deal with, but at least he was with the client. He thought of it, and tugged Kagami's arm to go towards the locker room. "Kagami-kun, you're on a break, yes? I'll get you some drink. Please focus on the task in hand." He said.

Kagami willingly went with him, still had suspicion in his mind. Once they were there, Tetsuya had him sit on the bench.

"Stay here, I'll get you something from the vending machine. What would you like?" He asked.

Kagami shook his head. "You don't have to." He murmured, seemingly cooler now. Good. He should keep it up.

"I'll get you a bottle and a towel. Please wait a minute." Tetsuya insisted. He left the room for a short moment and came back with a bottle of pocari in hand. He withdrew a fresh piece of towel from the manager's locker, then he walked up to Kagami to hand both items to the redhead.

"Thanks." Kagami said. He uncapped the bottle, then drank the content. He was calmer now, much to Tetsuya's relief. Kagami was unpredictable sometimes.

"And uh, sorry about, uh, earlier. Looks like I showed you my lame side…" The redhead said, his cheeks flushing with embarrassment. He was fiddling with the towel, face down.

"I mean, I admit I g - got pissed off when I saw you with Kise. You guys were so close, so I thought… you were dating. But then Kise said all those stuff about blind dates and that you gotta do his shopping for him. I didn't know what to think, other than — "

" — that I must have feelings for Kise-kun and therefore I was willing to do his biding despite his shortcomings." Tetsuya took the guess.

Kagami blushed harder. "Yeah, pretty much." He scratched his head. "Now that you said it like that, it sounds ridiculous. I mean, Kuroko, you… you're not the type of person who'd let anyone do that to you. You're like… like the boss, or something."

He blinked. "Well, that's… one way of interpreting it."

The redhead looked at him, in the eyes. Tetsuya was a bit taken aback by it. "You're not like I thought you were, I mean, not in a bad way or anything. It's a good thing, actually. I got to know you the past few weeks and I was glad because you're so different from what I expected."

Tetsuya tensed up.

"Different… how?" He queried, carefully.

Kagami looked at him with affection in his gaze. "I thought you were shy and quiet. I mean, not that it's a bad thing. You're like this perfect picture of a demure, elegant and feminine girl and I — " He coughed in this part, and intentionally spoke very quickly so Tetsuya would mishear.

" — honestlyit'stotallymytype. But then we talked, spent time together and… you're actually genuinely interested in basketball and you pay attention to our team play — to my play. You're diligent, kind, headstrong… sometimes you're sarcastic and you have this deadpan sense of humor. You… you don't take shit from Kise, or anyone. And I found myself … even more fascinated w - with you." He cleared his throat, blushing deeper.

Kagami looked away, shy.

It made Tetsuya want to look away too, because his face was getting warm and it was difficult for him to come up with a reply. He didn't think that Kagami paid that much attention to him.

"I…" Tetsuya swallowed. He stared at the bench as if it was a piece of art in a museum. "Th - thank you, for the … kind words." He was blushing.

Kagami was staring at him, but Tetsuya couldn't do the same. How could he not? He was supposed to be the older person there, he'd been through far worse situations in total composure, but he couldn't emulate himself from those times. He was shrinking under Kagami's intense gaze.

"Kuroko."

Before he knew it, Kagami had stood up in front of him, face flushed and looked determined — like he had made up his mind, but Tetsuya did not know of what. What he was going to do.

"Y-yes?" He stammered, forcing himself to look back.

Kagami was tentatively hovering his hand over Tetsuya's, unsure. He had a feeling it was because he was waiting for some kind of rejection, which due to Tetsuya's lack of reaction, he was stuck there with their hands barely touching. Awkward.

"I … no, you… already know my feelings for you, right…?" Kagami asked. "I mean, everyone else n-noticed. I was just too dumb to realise it earlier, but… I'm … I'm serious, about … about you. What about you? D - do you mind if I… if I say I'm interested in you? If I … say I want to know you better w - with that intention in mind?"

The thoughts of his job and Akashi and his friends started fading off, because at that moment, Tetsuya could only see Kagami's red eyes, and his own reflections within them. It was hard to look away. He felt a lump in his throat.

This… this shouldn't go farther than it already was, his mind told him. He was at work. He was in disguise. He wasn't actually a girl. He was a man. Kuroko Tetsuya was a man. Kagami didn't know that he was a man, that he wasn't as he appeared to be.

But if he rejected Kagami outright, then he wouldn't have an excuse to stick to him. To be around him, like his job dictated him to.

"I … don't know what to say." He swallowed. His head was jumbling with excuses to give out, how to resolve this peacefully, how to let Kagami down without making things awkward, how to keep their friendship intact — so many things.

It was as if he was seriously considering Kagami as potential love interest.

"It's, it's okay. You don't have to answer now. You can … think it over first. I can wait." Kagami murmured softly.

Tetsuya looked down, red all the way to his ears.

His logical senses were failing him, he couldn't come up with a rational thought. Something about all of this was throwing off the composure he'd maintained so far. His heart was pounding and he felt dizzy. At the back of his mind, he knew if he agreed that meant he would be fooling Kagami. He would be betraying his trust.

But even that faded off in the storm of confusion brewing within his head.

"I'll … think about it." Tetsuya said. "Please give me some time to decide."

What his brain came up with, was that, maybe he could stall for time. Until the job was done. Until the dangers were well away from Kagami, or when another bodyguard was assigned to replace him. Because it was becoming hard to divide this from personal thoughts. It was difficult to behave professional in this sort of situation.

He convinced himself that this was just some short-lived infatuation. Kagami would move on if 'Kuroko' were to vanish. He was sure of it.

"R-really?" A bright grin bloomed on the redhead's face, his eyes lit up with joy, and his whole expression. Even body language changed, brimming with optimism and aspiration.

He was like a big hopeful ray of light. Too bright for someone like Tetsuya. He was meant to be a shadow, far from the spotlight. Certainly not meant to be involved with a client. If he was a better bodyguard, he'd be able to handle this better.

Tetsuya nodded weakly.

Almost immediately, Kagami burst out with delight, he pumped his fist to the sky. "Great! Thank you!" He exclaimed, laughing. In his delight, he pulled Tetsuya into his arms for a brief hug. One that squeezed a gasp out of him. Kagami quickly released him, his face the color of beet red.

"Shit! Sorry, I got too happy. I - I mean, it's uh, a western gesture they hug a lot … not that I want to take advantage of you at all. That wasn't what I meant." He looked guilty, and mortified.

"It's okay. I was just surprised." Tetsuya said, sighing. It probably wasn't great idea to let Kagami hug him in case he'd notice the pads.

"Really? Y - you don't mind?" Kagami looked more relieved. He smiled.

"Yes, and — " Tetsuya looked for an excuse to escape. He needed some time to form a cohesive plan to deal with this increasingly delicate matter. " — Kagami-kun, your break is over. We need to return to the court." He suggested, remembering where they were now.

Kagami blinked, as if he just remembered as well.

"Crap, I forgot! Captain's not gonna be happy with this." He said in semi-panic. They'd probably spent too much time away already.

Good, now his attention was elsewhere, Tetsuya was given a breathing moment to contemplate what just happened.

They returned to the club practice later on. Kagami was in an incredibly good mood and played very well, while Tetsuya was quiet for the most part. He almost forgot he was supposed to talk to Riko to arrange after practice cleaning schedules and getting the keys. He was distracted by Kagami who constantly looked to his ways with a sweet smile and a pink blush on his cheeks.

God, what had he gotten himself into?

He needed to talk with Kise, never mind that he'd be made fun of. This was a serious matter.

Unfortunately, when the practice came a close a few hours later, Captain Kasamatsu had Kise stay for his special training. A few seniors and Kagami were staying back as well to help out. Tetsuya had no choice but to try it again next time. He stayed back with the rest of the team until it was evening, when the training was over.

Riko clapped her hands when it came to an end. "Good work today, guys! Tomorrow's practice is at 05.00 A.M., don't forget!" She announced.

Hyuuga, Kagami and Mitobe vanished into the showers while the others helped out with cleaning, under Riko's command. Tetsuya was tasked with the towels and drinks, he used the opportunity to look for Kise. He'd slipped out of the gym, he was probably in the showers … which he wasn't. Tetsuya had taken a peek in the locker room, and Kise's bag was zipped up.

He frowned. Where could he be, he wondered, the vending machine or the water dispenser?

He walked further down the hall, and couldn't find Kise at the vending machine, so he tried the water dispenser near the back door. When he was there, Kise wasn't around, but he heard his voice coming from the direction of the door, speaking with someone. Tetsuya thought it might be Takao, but it sounded different.

"… about your grades." Upon closer inspection, it sounded like Kasamatsu's voice.

"What about it?" Kise's voice came out.

Tetsuya walked closer, curious. He poked his head slightly out of the door. Kasamatsu and Kise were conversing behind the gym, Kasamatsu's back was on him, so he didn't notice Tetsuya. Kise though, he was facing him, which was why he noticed Tetsuya right away. The blonde smiled. Kasamatsu however, didn't seem too pleased.

"You need to keep your grades sufficient enough for the tournaments." The Captain said, arms crossed.

Kise cocked his head. "I don't see why I should do that for a college club."

"I think you're underestimating your talents. You have something that no one else does, a real, raw talent." Kasamatsu said. "If we train you, you'll get better. You might even be as good as Kagami, maybe even more. You can get scholarship, or get scouted by professional teams."

Was Kise really that good? Tetsuya was too busy watching over Kagami to notice Kise's progress.

"That's a tempting offer." The blonde stepped forward. He was getting awfully close to Kasamatsu. Tetsuya raised an eyebrow. Kise was getting into the Captain's personal space. He smiled widely. "But you know, I think I need more persuasion than just a simple 'you gotta do it,' like for example, Senpai. You should go on a date with me, then maybe I'll consider taking it more seriously."

Wow, what a douche, Tetsuya thought. But then given Kise wasn't a real college student, but a professional bodyguard, this kind of offer was as unnecessary as him playing in the tournament instead of focusing on his job, which was to keep an eye on Kagami. As shady as it sounded, it might just be how Kise handled this kind of problem.

Kasamatsu paused for a moment, sighed, and then hit Kise upside the head. The blonde gave a solid 'ow!' for that.

"Don't be stupid. I won't go on a date with you, asshole. This is your future we're talking about. I assumed since you've decided to be a part of our team, that means you're considering playing professionally." He firmly said. "You have to seize the moment, Kise. As I said, you have a real talent. Don't waste it."

Kise made a face as if he'd been slapped. Tetsuya had never seen such an expression on the blonde, like it was the first time someone had genuinely complimented him. He was speechless, a rare feat for. It sounded like Kasamatsu was very serious about training him to professional level. He looked at Kise, wondering if he'd seriously think it over.

"That's… wow. Are you serious? Really? Me, a pro player?" Kise began laughing nervously. He scratched his head and averted his gaze, blushing.

"Yes, I'm serious. But don't get it over your head. You've still a long way before you can become as good as Kagami." Kasamatsu bluntly said.

Tetsuya decided he should leave them at this point. Apparently, Kise had his own problem to deal with.

He returned back to the court to help with the cleaning. Tetsuya had a lot in his mind, mopping the floors had a sort of therapeutic effects for him. Although it didn't last long, soon the equipments were back in the storage, the floors were mopped clean off dirt and sweat and everyone had showered. Now they were going to have dinner together.

"Tetsucchi, good work today." Kise walked up to Tetsuya with a smile. He casually put an arm over his shoulder. Kagami was fuming the moment he did.

Tetsuya rolled his eyes.

"You like to rile up people too much." He bluntly said.

"I am. The joy in life, is to have fun with your friends, right?" The blonde grinned, purposely standing close to him.

Kagami was fuming but he seemed to be holding back, given the previous explanation. He sighed again. "I saw you talking with Kasamatsu." He said.

The blonde looked at him, and then sighed, scratching his cheek awkwardly.

"Yeah, that was weird. But, I don't know, I was sort of happy about it? Nobody's ever told me something like that before." Kise turned to look at Kasamatsu, who was now talking with Hyuuga and Riko, possibly regarding the match. Kise had an almost solemn look on his face as he did.  
  
"It's a problem." He murmured.

"I see." Tetsuya wondered what he was thinking right now. "I do need to talk to you. Maybe when we have some… free time."

"Sure. And Kagamicchi's going to have dinner with the team, so we gotta go too." Kise said.

Tetsuya nodded. He wondered if they'd even have the time to converse about personal problems? They were on the job pretty much 24/7. Hardly any time to spare for a personal life. Maybe… maybe Tetsuya could ask Takao to sub for him for an hour or two, one of these days. It would be important if they needed to have a meeting.

"Kise, Kuroko. We're going to the ramen shop outside the campus, do you want to join with us?" Riko called them.

"Yeah, we're going!" Kise answered for the both of them. He willingly detached from Tetsuya's side and went for Kasamatsu's instead. Huh, curious.

Once the spot was empty, Kagami stepped in, not a minute later.

"You're joining us, Kuroko?" The redhead grinned toothily.

Tetsuya returned the smile. "Yes, I am." They walked out together with the rest of the team.

He had no problem acting normally when they were with other people. Kagami was sweet and friendly, like he always did with  _Kuroko_. If he could have a choice, Tetsuya would rather be Shiro. Not only because he didn't need to pretend and appear like a girl, but also because as Shiro, Kagami saw him more as a friend. He was still sweet and kind, minus the problem with accidental romance.

He couldn't wait to go back to the dorm and become  _Shiro_.

"Are you okay? You look tired. " Kagami noticed he was being very quiet.

"Oh, I'm alright. It's just been a long day for me." Tetsuya said. It had indeed been a long day. The meeting with Akashi, Midorima and Takao joining their team, and Kagami's confession… it was a little too much to digest quickly.

Kagami frowned. "If so, you don't have to push yourself too hard. I'll take you home."

"Thank you for the offer, but I'm really fine. I'd like to have dinner with everyone." He assured him.

Kagami scratched his nose, blushing. "If you say so."

Tetsuya smiled. The storm within his head hadn't dissipated. If anything, every time Kagami flashed a smile at him with those eyes and the blush on his cheeks, it became wilder, more unpredictable. It was increasingly difficult for Kuroko Tetsuya to keep a rational mind, to act professional.

As much as he wanted to reject the idea of it, he really did feel an undeniable attraction for Kagami. In a way, that would cost him his job.

—

TBC.

—


	6. To Be a Friend

—

**Stealth Kill**

—

Chapter 6: To Be a Friend

—

 _Ogiwara Shiro_  was Kuroko Tetsuya's (Male, sic.) sanctuary.

Ratty khakis, oversized shirts, plain makeup-free face and untamed hair (black wig). He was free from the clutches of the dreaded boned corset, shapewear suit, spandex, cutlet pads and the long fucking wig. Not to mention, he didn't have to act girly, faint-y or demure in anyway — he could sit with sprawled legs, pick his nose (except he didn't actually do it), and he can loom and gloom in the corner if he wanted.

It was perfection.

After Kagami went back to the dorms after dinner, Tetsuya went ahead to take off everything on him. One long shower and some skincare routine (that Kise insisted him committing) later, he was all fresh to go back to the dorms. All he had on him was the wig. A deconstructed version of himself that he grew to love dearly.

Midorima was in the apartment's living room, working on the files Kise gave him. It was a funny thing to see the tall, quiet man worked in a room full of makeup products, mannequin heads and an assembly of frilly girly clothing put in display on rows of steel racks.

"This place is horrendous." Midorima had said previously, when Tetsuya and Kise came back home. "Although it is a sort of rendition of a female's room, I suppose. Like my sister's. However, she is a lot more meticulous and organised. For example, she has the good habit of properly shelving her lucky items in special cupboards with glass panels. Of course she keeps it locked for safety." Then he continued explaining his sister's collection of 'luck items' as he continued working with his laptop.

Meanwhile, Takao was trying out all the wigs he could find and laughing his ass off. "My lil' sis is going to love this!" He proceeded to take selfies of himself wearing the wigs, in goofy faces, to presumably send the photos to his own sister.

They couldn't have been more different. He always wondered what exactly that made these two get along so well. Salary? Obligation? … black magic?

Takao was kind enough to keep a watch on Kagami (as far as peeping into the room through the windows, with  _Shiro's_  permission) while Tetsuya washed up. Kise still hated seeing him in such plain clothes, but really, who the fuck cared? Tetsuya certainly didn't.

So he haphazardly put on the ugliest clothes he could find in the wardrobe, and went on his merry way, enjoying the casual stroll 'til he reached the dorms. Freedom awaited him. This was the only time where he could take it easy and enjoy the benefit of living like a college student.

It was a little chilly in the evening, past seven o'clock. His stomach was full and his worry went away momentarily, because as Shiro, he didn't have to think much about Kagami's confession. He wasn't the 'Female Kuroko,' he didn't need to act like the role. Yeah, just for that moment, he would enjoy the gentle gust of wind blowing at the trees, or the leaves falling majestically, in this nice autumn evening. Except, of course, by the time he was reached the dorms' lobby, the noises of laughter and chatters blasted into his earshot, ruining what peace he had enjoyed so far.

Typical college boys, he begrudgingly mused.

"Oh, Ogiwara. You came back pretty late, huh?" Imayoshi poked his head from his bedroom, flashing him a grin. Tetsuya could see Kasamatsu inside the room, studying with a headphone covering his ears. He didn't seem to notice nor hear Tetsuya.

"Good evening, Senpai." Tetsuya greeted the senior.

"Had a date? You always got back to the dorms in the evening. I figured it must be a girl." The senior took a wild guess, arms crossed and head cocked.

Tetsuya mentally frowned. Imayoshi noticed such small details, it was unexpected that he actually paid that much attention to someone like Shiro. Imayoshi was quite perceptive. Tetsuya had to be more careful.

"Let's just say it was." He decided to go along with it, as it was the most plausible explanation.

"Don't let Koga hear you; he might cry." Imayoshi laughed boisterously, as he walked off to the common room down the halls. Creepy.

This was probably normal for Imayoshi … probably. Tetsuya shrugged. He continued his way to his own room, dodging and avoiding the guys. When he passed by the common room, he saw Hayakawa from the baseball club was practicing bat swings with … Moriyama, who used a racquet. They were having some sort of competition who had the best swings. Kobori stood at the sidelines, shaking his head and watching them. Koganei was also there, cheering for them.

One way or another, someone from the field hockey club joined in on the antic, showing them the proper way of handling a hockey stick.

How … ridiculous. Tetsuya honestly had no idea what this was supposed to achieve, as those sports did not relate to each other. He could only shake his head and moved on. He was already nearby the room. He took the knob in his hold, turned it and found it unlocked, then he entered.

Kagami was inside the room, apparently doing some intense pushup session on the floor. He was all sweaty again, after all that food he consumed. Tetsuya wondered if he ever stopped.

"Hey, Shiro." Kagami flashed a grin to him, sweat dripping down his face. "Sorry, I'm blocking the way."

"No worries." Tetsuya said. He only needed to make sure he didn't accidentally step on Kagami on his way to his desk. He put his bag on the chair, pulled his cellphone and texted Takao to cease his shift for the night. Takao replied with a ' _Sure! Have a good night! You look great! ;D_ ' with a smiling emoji pasted to the message.

Tetsuya suspected Kise and Takao might have been spending time with each other too much, on off days.

Now that he could take it easy, Tetsuya took a book — a crime novel — from his desk, and flipped the book to start reading, while Kagami continued his exercises for another twenty minutes. Tetsuya was a little lost in imagination, for having gotten into a good scene where the protagonist was investigating a manhole by himself, in the middle of the night. It was an intense, psychological thriller scene where the protagonist may or may not going to be caught by the killer.

Kagami's shirt was soaked in sweat by the time he finished. He pulled a fresh shirt to change clothes, but otherwise, he didn't go to the bathroom to shower first. In fact, he was getting ready to go out. He actually took out a duffel to put change of clothes and some toiletries in.

"Shiro?" He couldn't hear Kagami calling him. Or he heard, but just barely. "Hey, Shiro? Are you even listening? I'm going to the public bathhouse for a bit, if anyone asks, just tell 'em that."

Tetsuya blinked, seeing Kagami's large form moved out of his range of vision. He lifted his jaw and saw Kagami in his varsity and track pants, a duffel slung around his shoulder as if he was going out.

"I'm sorry, what? Where are you going, Kagami-Senpai?" He asked, alarmed. The novel was quickly forgotten, closed, on the table.

Kagami had pulled his shoes out and was lacing the ties. "I said I'm going to the public bathhouse. You know, have some nice soak in a tub." He said. "I don't feel like taking the shower. I mean, it's been a while since I'd gone there and I kinda want some time by myself right now."

Oh no. No, no, no.

There was no way Tetsuya was letting Kagami go out by himself.

Tetsuya stood up suddenly, his chair made a creaking noise as he did. "Senpai! I, um, can I join you?" He immediately said. "To the public bathhouse, I mean. I haven't had a shower yet, either." He added, to make it seem more authentic. He sounded a little too forced, he knew. He couldn't make it less awkward or creepy, at this point.

Kagami looked up, blinking. "Uh, sure. Why not? I go there with the guys sometimes. The bathhouse isn't far." Thankfully he wasn't creeped out by the proposal. Tetsuya had successfully averted a potential disastrous title of a pervert.

"Thank you for letting me join you, Kagami-Senpai." Tetsuya then swiftly prepared for the trip. He walked over to the wardrobe for the change of clothes, a fresh towel and some soap or shampoo, then put them into his own bag. He opted for a pair of sandals than shoes, and just a jacket to fight against the chilly winds. "I'm ready, Senpai."

The redhead was already at the door, waiting for him. He looked up from his phone when ' _Shiro_ ' was ready. "Great, let's go."

There was barely any privacy in the dorms. On their way out, they bumped to Izuki and Hyuuga, their next-door neighbors. They seemed to have just made some cup noodles, which they were bringing back to their room. "Kagami, where are you going?" The Vice-Captain had asked him, eying the bags and the jackets. Izuki stared at Shiro, looking like he couldn't recall of ever seeing him in the dorms.

The latter reaction was something that Tetsuya missed lately, the satisfying feeling of having the right to anonymity, away from his ridiculous colleagues.

Kagami briefly bowed as greeting. "We're going to the public bathhouse, Senpais." He said. "I think soaking's gonna help with the muscle pains."

"Huh. Okay." Hyuuga cocked his head, the cup noodles he was holding was steaming lightly. "Don't soak for too long. Remember last time Takeda stayed in the water for too long?"

"Yeah, I remember. Got it, Senpai." Kagami nodded obediently. He always behaved well with his seniors, Tetsuya mused.

"Who are you again?" Izuki suddenly asked, earning the other three's attention. Izuki looked at Shiro, with a puzzled look on his face. He scratched his cheek. "Sorry, I just can't remember your name, I swear I saw you before. No offence or anything."

Tetsuya took none of it. "My name is Ogiwara Shiro, Izuki Senpai. I'm a freshman." He bowed slightly to the senior.

"Oh. Oh right, Ogiwara. Kagami's new roommate. Sorry. God, this is embarrassing, cos you actually knew my name and I didn't." Izuki laughed softly, cheeks flushing.

Tetsuya smiled. "It's alright, Senpai."

Hyuuga elbowed his roommate with his free hand, visibly annoyed. Izuki made an 'oof' sound. "Seriously, Izuki. You better pay more attention to the juniors, forget coming up with ridiculous puns. You got plenty of them already." He huffed. "Right. See you later, Ogiwara, Kagami. We gotta eat before the noodles go soft." He waved off to the juniors, tugging Izuki along.

"Hyuuga, that's mean. Those puns are centuries-old, descended down from my ancestors!" Izuki huffed back. He followed Hyuuga anyway.

Kagami and Tetsuya continued their way out, each metre they took, they met and spoke with another bunch of guys. It made him realise just how well-known Kagami was among members of other sports clubs, not just the basketball club. He wasn't the type to get aggressive unless someone else provoked him — it made him wonder if anyone would want to harm Kagami if he didn't have a politician for a relative.

When they passed by the common room, Tetsuya peeked in, the strange competition was still on; the numbers of competitors had increased quite a bit. Imayoshi was holding a bet of who had the best swing form — each club had their own representative of the best player. Tetsuya reckoned Kasamatsu was still too busy studying to realise there was illegal betting under his roof.

Kagami was used to the antics. He didn't bat an eyelid as he continued walking, ignoring the loud cheering audience in the increasingly overpopulated common room. Cash was flowing into Imayoshi's pocket like waterfall; he was making a bomb business out of it.

It was only a matter of time before the commotion would penetrate even the most resilient noise-cancelling headphones.

Tetsuya quietly followed the redhead.

"They are so energetic." He commented softly, just as they were stepping out of the building. Kagami went ahead to open the door and hold it for him. It was a little weird, given they were both guys.

Kagami laughed, flashing his teeth. "When you got a bunch of guys living in the same building, it gets really noisy. Crazy shit happens all the time." He shrugged his broad shoulders. "It's been like this even with the Chief's intervention. I mean, if it's not for him, someone would've burned down something."

"… that doesn't sound safe at all."

"Yeah, don't think so. But then again I'm just exaggerating. Nobody's that stupid, right?" The redhead looked at Tetsuya, grinning widely. His eyes slipped into slits, crinkling with untamed fondness. It made Tetsuya want to look away because his heart skipped a beat.

Not good. He should try to distract himself.

"Y-yes, I don't think so." He mumbled softly.

They could still hear the cheering when they were outside, but after a short moment, the noises died down all of a sudden. Tetsuya paused, looked back over his shoulder and blinked. He could vaguely hear another sound, a familiar voice yelling in a distance.

"Oh, they're busted." Kagami said, having stopped on his track when Tetsuya did. "Captain's probably scolding them right now."

"Kasamatsu-Senpai has a lot in his hands." Especially since he had to study  _and_  act as the basketball club Captain.

"I think he likes to do it, though. Acting like the big brother, the senior. He's tough but fair." Kagami scratched his head. They continued their way. "Think it's weirder why he picked Imayoshi Senpai to be his vice-head. He likes to stir up shit."

Exactly what Tetsuya wondered about. Imayoshi seemed to encourage the 'bad' behaviors, including and up to illegal betting to make profit out of it. It was strange. "It's truly a mystery."

"Yeah, but guess that's what makes it fun." Kagami said, with fondness in his voice.

The wind was chilly, emptier that it was past dinner time. In contrast of the day, where the campus was constantly buzzing with students and various activities, now it looked like a park of sorts. It was a nice place to have a stroll, have a breather moment alone or with someone. The sounds of rustling trees and bushes were soothing.

They chatted along the route to the public bathhouse, which was located at the shopping district outside of the campus area. It was open until eleven P.M. Further down the district was where the basketball team liked to have their dinners, the ramen shops or the okonomiyaki stalls. Small rustic restaurants owned by people who'd been living there for decades.

Tetsuya would have preferred this better. Kagami was acting normally, not the flustered, lovestruck teen when he was acting as a girl. He was much more of a friend now, a senior to be admired not only due to his college celebrity status, but because he made effort to get to know and take care of his junior. He was a good person.

This was the side of Kagami, that ' _Kuroko_ ' couldn't see.

The bathhouse was fairly empty when they got there. There were two elderly men soaking in the tub, and the usual old man who minded the front desk. They paid the fee, got the keys to the lockers and stepped into the lockers to put their stuff in.

Tetsuya's locker was right next to Kagami's. The redhead had started stripping his clothes, used to the guys in the club.

Tetsuya, however, was a little slower, more reluctant. Not because he was embarrassed, but because he had a few scars here and there that he didn't cover with makeup like he always did with the female disguise. His mind was working to come up with excuses as he slowly pulled the sweater off his pale body. He was hoping Kagami wouldn't notice them.

But of course, with his luck, it wasn't likely to come true.

"Huh, Shiro, I didn't know you do martial arts." Kagami was pointedly staring at him. He already stripped down to — a pair of swimming trunks?

Tetsuya blinked, confused by the swimming trunks that Kagami was wearing. Nobody was supposed to wear any clothes in to the bath tubs. His surprise, however, was quickly distracted by how chiseled Kagami's body was. Even though he was used to seeing it in the dorms, it was still a very impressive sight to behold, especially in such a close range. Anyone would either admire it, or envy Kagami for his physique.

"Yes, I … have a black belt." He said, looking away. He attempted to focus on undressing instead.

Kagami was interested. He gave a whistle. "Really? Wow, I couldn't tell. I mean, you're pretty small and skinny." He commented, his red eyes scanned over Tetsuya's form, with a thoughtful look on his face.

" _Ah!"_

Tetsuya let out an undignified squeak when he felt something touched his back, where he had a big old scar running down his left shoulder. It felt as if a spark of electricity shot down his spines. He instantly jumped away from the touch, arms wound around his body defensively. When he turned, cheeks hot and blue eyes blown, he saw Kagami's shocked expression and his hand hovering in the air, caught red-handed. Eyes wide and mouth hung agape. It only took a second before his entire face became beet red, all the way to his ears and down his neck. He was practically radiating heat from where he stood.

"Oh, fuck! I'm sorry!" Kagami quickly withdrew his hand in a short, quick jerk. He took it all the way to the back of his head. "I didn't mean to — I'm sorry! I was just … just —  _fuck!_  Shit, I shouldn't be cursing right now — I - I mean, d-did I hurt you?" He asked, panicking and blushing painfully red.

It made Tetsuya felt awkward, his face was hot — Having very fair complexion, his entire body flushed pinkish in result. It didn't help that he was very nearly nude. All the blood in his body was rushing under the skin, staining it with visible red flush.

"N-no, I'm sorry, I was startled. I'm not hurt anywhere. He stammered, embarrassed. He lowered his gaze to the floor. "I shouldn't have screamed like that, it's… it's embarassing." Which was really, really shameful to him, a man his age, squeaking from a light touch. What was wrong with him? The scar was an old wound that had long since healed.

Yet he was so sensitive to Kagami's touch. It was uncalled for.

"Is-is that so? G-good. Sorry for st - startling you…" Kagami kept glancing at the floor, at Tetsuya, away again, only to return to him again, as if he couldn't decide where to look.

"It's… it's okay, Senpai. Don't mind it. I should've paid more attention. Please don't worry." He wanted to quickly skip over the awkwardness. He focused on swiftly replacing his boxers with the teeny tiny towel tied around his waist, then stuffed everything into the locker. He drew in a deep breath, before he looked up at the redhead.

"Shall we go in now?" He suggested, fairly calmly.

"R-right!" Kagami replied almost immediately, scratching his head. Both of them were still out of it, but at least they were moving past the initial discomfort.

But it was quiet. More quiet than it had been before. Tetsuya washed himself off first before going for a soak. He lathered up, scrubbed his arms and legs with a small wet towel while sitting on a stool. He was doing his best not to accidentally ruin the wig. Kept it dry as much as he could. It distracted him from the awkwardness. Kagami meanwhile, was washing himself too, although his eyes lingered on 'Shiro's' form, without the latter realising it.

"What kind of martial arts are you doing?" The redhead asked softly.

Tetsuya was pouring water onto himself to wash off the suds. He lifted his head. "Yes? Oh, I've been doing Aikido since I was ten." He said, as he filled the wooden bucket with warm water. The old faucet squeaked when he turned it.

"Okay." Kagami paused. "But they don't look like the kind of scars you'd get from Aikido, does it?"

He pushed the black strands of wig off his face. "…no, they are not." Because it wasn't. It was a scar from a slash of knife he received on the job, some two years ago. He was still inexperienced by then. "I got into a few fights before. The scars were from back then." He explained. A white lie.

Kagami eyed him carefully. "Why did you get into fights? You don't look like the type." He asked.

The two elderly men gradually left the baths, there were only the both of them left. Tetsuya poured more water onto himself, until he was all cleaned from the dirt. He could go into the tub now. "I didn't do it on purpose… I was… with a friend. She was about to be assaulted. The men had weapons. I was with another friend, but we were pretty outnumbered." He wrung the small towel, then put it into the bucket.

"Oh. That's… that sucked." Kagami commented.

He smiled. "Yes… that indeed sucked."

But it came with the profession. He'd since learnt to be more cautious, more careful.

It looked like the redhead was done washing up too. They both stood up, then headed for the tubs to enjoy a soak. Tetsuya was first to get in. He slowly put his right foot in, and then the left. He let himself sink very steadily to get his body temperature used to the hot water, until he was neck-deep in the water. His back was facing the side of the tub, Tetsuya closed his eyes. It was relaxing, he could feel the muscular tension loosening up. Kagami followed suit, settling next to him.

"You're really brave." The redhead said, staring at him. "Reckless, but that's… really brave of you."

Tetsuya turned to look at Kagami, his blue eyes observing the redhead. "I did not think so. I was just doing… what I had to do." His job.

"Still." Kagami scratched his nose, cheeks flushing. He looked away. "God, compared to that, I'm lame. For — for getting all scared 'cos of some stupid confession. Fuck, couldn't even get that part right…" He groaned softly, pressing his face into his hands. The water rippled around his broad form.

Tetsuya twitched.

 _The confession._ Of course. The dreaded topic he wanted to forget all evening long. Alas, he wasn't able to avoid it for too long.

But in this case, Tetsuya was socially obligated to ask what was wrong, after all, he was Kagami's roommate. And Kagami must have regarded him as a friend to mention this sort of specific information to him. He turned and looked at Kagami. Almost reluctantly, he asked. "If you don't mind me asking, what is this confession you are speaking of, Senpai?"

Kagami blushed. He sunk further into the water until his chin touched the surface. "It's this girl … you know, Kuroko. I … I confessed today. I didn't mean to, but I did. I don't know what came over me, it's just…" He fiddled with his fingers. "She's so different, you know? From other girls … "

Because she wasn't a girl at all, Tetsuya mentally snarked.

"I see. So you confessed to her. What did she say?" He tried to keep his tone neutral, eyes fixed at the high window and the sight of the moon and a peek of the trees.

"She looked really surprised." His face was still red, maybe it was due to the heat. "I mean, she said she'd consider it and that she needed time for, but, I don't know. I'm just super nervous about it. I don't know how to — to convince her to like me." Kagami nervously ran a hand through his hair. He straightened his back, broad shoulders peeked out of the surface of water.

Tetsuya inhaled deeply, trying to relax. How should he react? He really didn't want to encourage Kagami further. "Why did you confess if you're not sure if she likes you or not?" He asked.

"Uh." Kagami looked at him, gaping. He looked positively lost. "I… uh, I don't know? We were talking about, um, about some asshole who's not treatin' her right, and then I, I got mad and thought that I was way better than that guy and I'd never treat her like that, ya know? So I just… told her … I like her…"

With the heat of the water and Kagami's own emotions, Tetsuya started fearing the redhead would have a sudden heart attack from the intensity of his redness.

"… okay …" He cleared his throat, trying to appear calm. He was flushing too, but that was mostly the hot water. "So… I do not think there is anything else to do but wait until she's ready with an answer." He said, still appearing to be 'supportive' of Kagami's crush.

"Yeah… I guess." Kagami loudly sighed.

The redhead was quiet for a while, which honestly, Tetsuya appreciated. This job had taken a toll on him, this hot bath was relaxing the stiff muscles and the knots on his neck. He closed his eyes, sighing, sinking into the water until his neck was submerged. The tips of his wig was wet. He ignored it.

"D-do you think I should ask her out on a date?"

… and the temporary peace was broken.

"… a.. date?" Tetsuya turned to Kagami, slowly emerging from the water. The heat had started getting to his head. He made sure his head and hands were out of the water.

"Yeah, I mean, since I confessed… I should, you know. Ask her out. Back in the U.S., guys ask girls out all the time — " Tetsuya wished he could magically teleport to another location, or another bathhouse. Because this was really nice, except for the conversation topic. " — do you think a kiss is too much for a first date?"

Tetsuya almost swallowed the bath water. He coughed, choking a little on his own spit.

"I — I beg your pardon?" Tetsuya balked, hoping he heard wrong.

Kagami was staring at him, expecting a straight answer. Tetsuya was still holding back the cough. "Is it different here? 'cos kissing on first dates is kind of common back in California, I mean if she wants to, of course."

He tried to gather what dignity was left on the tiled floors.

"N-no. It's different here. People…. people don't usually kiss unless they're dating officially. Generally speaking, it's not a good thing to expect a kiss on a first date." Tetsuya said.

Kagami sighed. "I guess not… I don't even see a lot of couples holding hands over here. Kuroko seems like a really classy lady too…" He scratched his head, blushing. "At least I don't need to uh, to worry about the sex part, huh? That goes after dating officially too?"

The bile in his throat expanded, pushing him into a short fit of cough. "S-sex?"  
  
Tetsuya paled. He felt as if his life was shortened by ten years.

"Yeah. It's extreme to expect sex on first date so I don't. But if she says yes to dating me, I mean after that, we gonna eventually… you know." The redhead laughed nervously. "I'm a healthy guy, so naturally I'd like to, um, be more intimate with Kuroko."

Perverts. Why was he surrounded by perverts? Except Tetsuya was (silently) overreacting. Of course he knew that guys would want sex and have sexual needs. He was partnered with Kise, for god's sake. That stupid blonde would hit on anything that walked with two legs. It was a normal thing to want sex, even if it was the sweet, awkward, kind Kagami. Of course he'd want that from Kuroko.

Wait, why the fuck was he thinking that? No. Tetsuya rejected the idea immediately.

"I… see… I don't think it's going to be so soon. She… she hasn't said yes yet." He tried to cool down. It was difficult, because he was quite literally submerged in hot water from chest down.

"Yeah. I guess it should be your normal, average, no-touchy date. Like, you know, going to movies… a dinner. Shopping. A-anything she'd like to do. I'm down with it." Kagami grinned dumbly, he had that dreamy look on his face again.

For once, it was a good thing that the hot water was a believable cover for the flush on his face. "Y-yes. I would suggest that you keep things tame. Very, very tame. No hugging or kissing, or even holding hands. For a first date." He warned Kagami, very sternly.

"I-I got it." The redhead nodded once. It looked like he was going to follow the advice to a tee, which was comforting. Kagami wasn't done yet with his romantic wisdom seeking ways. He looked at Tetsuya, with glimmers of hope in his eyes, that made the latter wanted to squirm. "Shiro, since you know a lot about dating, can you give me advices what to do on first dates? I really got no clue… please?"

And squirm he did, yet Tetsuya could not refuse. He was acting as friend here; Kagami's friend.

"Okay…" Tetsuya mumbled, a little dizzy.

Kagami scooted closer to him, which didn't really bother him. What bothered him was the fact that Kagami's full attention was on Tetsuya now. Like an eager pupil and a reluctant teacher.

"So, did you ever do it? You know, s-sex. With your exes." Kagami asked curiously.

If Kise had been the one who asked, he would have told him off.

"… … I did." Tetsuya said, softly. "I … did it. With my…"

He couldn't tell if he was flushing because of the bath water or the blood boiling with the awkwardness of the situation… but he was getting a headache. He was dizzy and hot and… before he knew it, the room started spinning in his sight. Tetsuya glanced at his hands and saw the fingers wrinkled like prunes. He'd been in the hot water for too long.

"Shiro?"

Tetsuya didn't hear him. Kagami's voice sounded muffled, he was too distracted by the blurring, spinning images of his surroundings. The heat of the water quickly reached his head and he blacked out.

He barely saw a blur of red and tan running over him, muffled noises were drowned when the water entered his ears.

—

Tetsuya overheated.

He woke up some time later, to Kagami's concerned face looking down on him, a shadow cast over him as there was a blinding light behind him, from the ceiling. Kagami looked like a star. A real star in the basketball court. He really had handsome features, Tetsuya idly mused. A manly body with a beautiful face, it made him wonder why someone like him paid attention to someone like Tetsuya. 

"Kagami… kun." He mumbled, almost inaudible.

"Shiro? Are you okay?" Kagami asked, and this time Tetsuya could hear him clearly.

Tetsuya didn't answer. His eyes darted off, observing his surroundings. He had questions in his head that needed answers.

Where was he? He remembered he was at the bathhouse with Kagami, soaking in the tub. What happened to him? … as much as he didn't want to admit it, he probably fainted due to overheating. Who helped him? Tetsuya looked up. He met Kagami's eyes. That one was clear. What was he wearing? Was he…?

Tetsuya's hands went to feel his chest, it wasn't bare. He looked down, seeing himself wearing an unfamiliar (and not particularly attractive) loose yukata. He felt damp coldness resting on top of his forehead. He patted his forehead. It was a wet towel.

He was also apparently using Kagami's lap to rest his head on… well, that was… something. Kagami's lap was firm and muscular, it wasn't cushiony at all. The redhead was thankfully, also clothed with the clothes he wore before bath.

Sighing tiredly, Tetsuya put two and two and assumed correctly.

"I'm sorry. I… blacked out." He started, closing his eyes in shame. "Thank you for helping me, Senpai."

"Don't mention it. I guess we stayed in the water for too long." Kagami sounded sincere, worried. It was soothing.

Tetsuya felt something brush against his cheek. He opened his eyes and saw Kagami was staring at him quietly. His hand was cradling Tetsuya's face, the thumb stroking his cheek. It was so big that it could've envelop his whole face. Tetsuya stared back at him, blue eyes met warm crimson, they stayed like that for a few seconds.

"Are you… okay?" He saw Kagami say. He was so close that Tetsuya could feel his breath brushing against him gently.

Tetsuya found that he couldn't take his eyes off Kagami. "I think so. I… don't feel pain anywhere."

Kagami gave a half nod, his thumb glided along his jaw. "That's good. I was worried."

"I'm sorry for making you worry." He was still staring. The sentiment was returned.

"Sorry I, I carried you out and uh, saw stuff. I asked the old man outside to borrow something to dress you with." The redhead's cheeks flushed. He wondered if it was due to having soaked in the hot bath, or something else.

"Okay. I don't mind."

"G-good." Kagami smiled at him. Although it looked more nervous instead of relieved. "I guess it's nothing to be ashamed of, cos, we… are guys, right? Nothing weird, right?"

He sounded a bit strange. And he wasn't making any move even though Tetsuya was already well awake. They'd been in this position for a little too long.

"Yes."

He saw Kagami swallow, breaking eye contact a second later. He also withdrew completely, his hand fell away from Tetsuya.

"Uh. Okay, so, are you sure you're okay now? We can stay like this until you're feeling better." He asked, yet not quite looking at him. He was avoiding eye contact.

Secretly, Tetsuya was slightly disappointed. But he quickly and systematically pushed the thought to the furthest part of his mind. It was too awkward to stay in this position and they had to go back to the dorm before the curfew.

"I'm alright now. Please don't worry too much." He said, moving to straighten his back. He was still a bit dizzy, but nothing he couldn't handle. Some of the heat had cooled down.

"Okay." Kagami, seemingly reluctant, helped him get to his feet. "I'll get you something to drink while you change your clothes? I'll tell the owner you're better now."

He nodded. He still had his stuff in the locker. "I'll appreciate it, thank you."

While Kagami went out to inform the owner of the bathhouse that 'Shiro' was conscious, Tetsuya used the moment to calm himself down and review what just happened. Something did, he just didn't know what that was. Kagami was acting a little off…

It could just be him. Because right now he was  _Shiro_ , not  _Kuroko_. Without the makeup, wig and corsets, he looked nothing like ' _Kuroko'_.

The irony did not escape him.

So he swiftly changed his clothes and got his stuff, before he walked out to thank the owner of the establishment for the disaster. The old man who owned the bathhouse was very kind and understanding. Tetsuya was glad he didn't cause too much inconvenience for the elderly man.

He met Kagami outside the building, just as Kagami was returning with a bottle of water. The vending machine was several feet from the bathhouse.

"Hey. I got ya something." The redhead grinned. He handed Tetsuya the chilled drink.

"Thank you, senpai." Tetsuya gratefully accepted it.

He drank the water as they walked back to the dorms. The water did help his body lower the temperature. He was feeling just a tad bit too toasty after the small overheating incident. Kagami was still concerned, he kept asking him if he was alright. Tetsuya patiently tended to the question. He really was fine, it was probably the physical exertion from the job that made him susceptible to overheating.

"You scared me back then." Kagami said, huffing.

"Last time I saw someone fainted was when the team competed 'bout who can soak the longest in the hot springs. Jeezus, Koganei-Senpai looked like a boiled crab. Mitobe-Senpai tolled him out. Even Hyuuga-Senpai almost didn't make it. The guys got scolded by the Coach — I mean by Riko-Senpai. It was a mess."

Tetsuya cracked a smile at the story. "That sounds hilarious, Senpai."

Kagami blushed, he scratched his head. "I got scolded for wearing trunks into the baths. I mean, I don't get it. Why should I go naked in front of strangers? Doesn't make sense."

"Well, I guess it's because the article of clothing may potentially contaminate the bath waters because we don't know where it has touched … and it is a public place. It is more of a moral obligation to be conscious that other customers would like to enjoy a clean, nice soak after a long day of work." He tilted his head.

"Huh, guess I can understand that." The redhead said, seemingly thoughtful.

The conversation after that was thankfully deprived of any mention about the female Kuroko, which was something of a relief. Tetsuya had enough of the dating crap. It was too awkward. Too personal. He had to think twice of what he had to say to Kagami without blowing his cover or making Kagami upset. He couldn't afford either.

When they were near the dorms, he received a text from Kise.

Tetsuya used an alias in his phone's contacts, Kise's alias was  _Harada Eiji_. Harada apparently got the permission to borrow equipments from the office. Tetsuya texted him back. He'd tell him the schedule of the team where he could get the keys to the gym. The question was when they should do the operation.

He needed to make a call.

"Senpai, I need to make a call. Please go on ahead." Tetsuya told Kagami, stopping just when they were about to enter the dorms.

Kagami looked at him from over his shoulders, he was already at the entrance. "Oh, right. Okay. See you later, Shiro."

Tetsuya nodded. "I'll see you soon." He turned on his heels, taking a several steps away from the dorms to get better reception. Kagami went in ahead of him, leaving Tetsuya alone outside. 

When he was out of hearing range, Tetsuya made a call to Kise.

" _Hey, sweetcheeks, how are you tonight? Wanna come over?_ " The blonde greeted him from across the line.

"Harada-san, that's very inappropriate." Tetsuya bluntly said, unfazed. "I saw your text. We need to talk about the plans. How soon can you get the equipment here?"

" _Hmmm, I gotta drive to the office first, which probably gonna take a whole day. Those equipments aren't light. Also, spying stuff are expensive and delicate, so extra time with the gentle treatments. Midorimacchi's handling the paperworks for it, so me and Takaocchi are doing the grunt work._ "

"I see. I have spoken with the Coach that I'll do cleaning duties in the mornings and evenings. But I have to tell you the evenings aren't convenient. The security patrols around the place and… to be honest, several people in team like to stay back for practice until very late." He said. Kagami mentioned he planned to do extra hours on trainings before the match, which was less than two weeks now.

" _Yeah, thought so. They expected me to join the extra practice too… so in the morning then, when?_ "

"I need to check with the security's patrolling schedule." Tetsuya said. "Shouldn't be too hard to get. I'll do it tomorrow."

" _Great. So tomorrow, I'll drive back to the office with Takaocchi to get the equipments, and you go get the patrol schedule. Can you tell 'em I'm not feelin' well? Cos that means I gotta skip classes and the club._ "

"I will." Tetsuya would need a fake letter from the hospital. "We'll talk tomorrow morning? I need the makeover before you leave."

" _Gotcha, Kurokocchi ~ oh, did you know that Aominecchi and Murasakibaracchi just come back from their mission overseas? I heard they brought us souvenirs!_ " Kise asked, sounding excited.

Oh, right. Tetsuya completely forgot about that, he'd been busy. He did recall Akashi or Kise mentioned that bit of info way back when. "Is that so? Well, please say hi to them, from me. As I won't be able to meet them for a while."

" _Heheh, will do. I'll bring you your share of souvenirs tomorrow. And then we'll have a long ~ chat about what we've been up to lately._ " Kise chuckled creepily. Tetsuya wished he'd stop doing that.

He sighed.

"Okay, but don't take too long. We still need to have a meeting in the evening. We need to do this quietly and quickly." He warned the blonde, eyes narrowed.

He knew he couldn't stop Kise from gossiping. The blonde needed gossip just as much as he needed air, that was what Tetsuya suspected.

" _Yeah, I know, I know. I'll see ya tomorrow, Kurokocchi. Oh, and…_ " Kise paused for a few seconds. " _Nah, never mind. Pretty sure the Captain won't miss me much. Yet._ "

Tetsuya raised an eyebrow. "What are you talking about?"

" _Nothing ~ It's just a little somethin', somethin' if you know what I mean._ " The blonde singsang.

He had no freakin' idea what Kise meant, but he decided not to indulge in the blonde's antics. "… alright. I will see you tomorrow. Please keep me updated."

The call ended there. Tetsuya pocketed the phone, then turned around to start walking back to the dorms. The gears in his head was ticking. They were going to be busy, starting tomorrow, everything needed to be planned, down to its minute details, for the sake of Kagami's safety. Everything else was second, third and fourth priority.

He would do anything to protect Kagami Taiga.

—

TBC.

—

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: I need more side-characters featured in this story cos I miss them SO much …


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